No Reason
by Picaro
Summary: With gaining Kurikara as his shiki, Hisoka might have bitten a bigger chunk off than he can chew. Especially, since the Dragon King´s a parasitic type... And doesn´t even dream of following a brats orders! AU, Gensoukai fic...
1. failed

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No Reason

Disclaimer: Yami no Matsuei belongs to Yoko Matsushita and that's it. 

Picaro: Warnings! That's my first YnM fic, so please be gentle. I wrote it together with Ryuke-Chan aka Naoe, after going through the translations and having a very weird idea. It's also totally AU 'cause Matsushita-san hasn't continued the Gensoukai chapter till now. *sniff* Anyways, Please review! ^_^

I'm sorry. I'm so sorry....

"You failed."

...

"As expected, you didn't pass the test."

"….." 

….Tsuzuki, …Riko…I'm so sorry. ...I failed you…

… I was too weak. 

I stare at the small figure of Kurikara RyuOh as he kept hovering in front of me, tears continuing to come. Damn tears. Why do I have to cry just now, out of all possible times? It was as if they were the final evidences of my weakness. Why do I have to cry in front of _him_?! I've failed Ryu-Oh's test from the beginning on as gloriously as one can. How could I meet their expecting eyes now, after this disaster? I was so sure that I could make it…That I _would_ make it, gaining Kurikara as my shikigami and prevent the upcoming war. – To make good for all I've done to those people. 

How could I ever look straight into Tsuzuki's face again, after this failure… I honestly don't know. Riko…please forgive me. Your sacrifice, I've wasted it. You trusted me that much that you even gave your life for me, even after I threatened you that worse. I feel dirty now. Dirty, worthless and useless. Just a disturbance. … SohRyu should have killed me. That would have caused everybody less trouble. Especially Touda… The fire-serpent was probably heavily wounded because of my foolishness. They were right. Kurikara was really nobody to be gained….. I should have listened to them. And now – Now I've probably made everything all the worse, _again_. All that just because of my idiotic lusting for power, because I wanted to be able to be the protecting one for once instead of having to get protected and watch my friends suffer in that order…

I sob silently, just half out of exhaustion of the test. How could I explain…? Pressing my eyes tightly shut, I try to calm down, keep at least a minimal bit of dignify in front of Ryu-Oh… I fail miserably. The tears just won't stop coming, as SohRyu's words repeat themselves in my head. It's your fault! Crouching down even more, I'm not able to keep a soft whimper from escaping my lips. Pitiful…And _I_ wanted to command the Ryu no Kami? I nearly laugh at that thought. No wonder Kurikara wasn't willing to accept me. Now the others have to pay for my stubbornness. 

A gentle touch on my shoulder tears me out of my self-blaming. Looking up, I can feel my eyes widen in surprise as I find myself staring directly in Kurikara's face. He stares back at me, both of his eyes wide open and wearing an unreadable expression in them, even for me. For a silly moment I found myself wondering if Ryu-Oh's right eye was actually seeing or if it was blinded when he had got that scar. Baka! That's not the right time for that! Shaking my head, I tried to clear my thoughts. Kurikara's close presence was unnerving me, not only because he was probably the most powerful shikigami in the whole Gensoukai and yet wore the appearance of a kid (Well that was also quite irritating, but back at the matter at hand). What was really getting to me were the emotions I received from him.

Even as an empath I wasn't able to decipher what the shiki was feeling. It was honestly unnerving. His red eyes were fixed on my face, showing neither compassion nor anger, as his hand lingered on my shoulder, airily and gentle as if he knew how much the touch affected me. The eerie red eyes lingered for a bit longer on me, then he blinked, his look fixating on something behind my head which I couldn't see. As if reacting to an inner impulse, he suddenly bent forward, his arm hesitatingly sneaking around my shoulders. Now I'm sure. He knows about how other peoples' touches effect me. I freeze. 

He leans more forward until I can feel his hot breath -(he's a fire shiki, after all)- on my ear. My tears had long by subsided. Frozen, I'm too stunned to react in any way. – And yelp as suddenly a sharp set of teeth dug themselves into the soft flesh of my earlobe! He bit me! Kurikara RyuOh bit me into my ear!! Please imagine that; the mighty KouRyu Kurikara RyuOh, con to a god and equal till higher in power than even SohRyu, the most powerful of the four gods, bit me in my fucking ear!! To say that I was surprised would be the understatement of my life. Or afterlife, depending on how you want to see it. 

Reacting by instinct, I yelp, push the shikigami quickly away from me and jump back at the same time, bringing a secure safety distance between us. I already said that I was surprised. Well, guess what, Kurikara seemed to be at least as surprised by his actions as me. 

Lifting a hand to his bloodied lips, the seemingly young shiki stared at me. For a long moment we just stood there, staring disbelieving at each other. His right eye was closed again, allowing me a good sight at the scar running over it. I really wonder where he got it from, considering that Touda hadn't even been able to scratch him… Turn of thoughts again! Fortunately, the Kouryu seemed to be as clueless about what to do next as I am. Turning his back abruptly on me, he mumbled. "Gomen." 

I blinked at him, flabbergasted. "What?" The short-haired shiki whirled back at me. "Sorry, I said! Saa, are you shinigami all so deaf or is it just you?!" "Uh…" I could just stare at him. What the heck-? Kurikara gestured with his hand, looking slightly irritated. "Look, I didn't intend to bite you!! It just – came into my head, somehow." He shrugged.

"Just that you don't make anything up ´bout that, you hear! It means nothing!!" I was now definitely positive that he was as shaken about it as I. Blinking at him slowly, I nod my head. "Urm, alright." He planted himself in front of me, staring up into my eyes in intimidation. Somehow the difference in size between us was ridiculous.

"Since you failed the test, we can go back now!" I felt the change of air as he summoned a wormhole again. Seconds later, I felt myself getting tugged through it with Kurikara right next to me. We landed a fair amount of distance between where I was sucked in. Kurikara gave me a last indignant look. "That was it, then!"

"Yeah… I guess, that was."

He turns to go. I hesitate, I don't know why, before calling him back. He gives me an unnerved look. He looks quite annoyed by now. Ignoring his body language, I bow deeply. 

"Later…When I've grown stronger. Will you test me then again?"

He gapes at me as if I've grown a second head. Looks rather silly, actually. But it's not the time for that. Expecting, I stare at his face. For a second, a somehow sad expression crosses his youthful face. Wistful. But before I can react, the look vanishes and is replaced with a fierce one. 

"I already told you…"

"I can't stand humans!!"

With that, he leaves. Being left staring after him, I can feel one of those seldom, little smiles cross my eyes. 

He didn't say no. 

A chance. After all, I still have a chance. And I'm determined to use it. That's a promise to myself. 

~ ~ ~ ~ Kurikara's POV ~ ~ ~ ~

I shake my head, wondering what got over me when I bit him. I _bit_ the boy, for crying out loud! And as I leave, he still asks me. For a moment, I stop, longing for the companionship, the happiness of old times. But I can't go back now; the world has changed since I was last here. So I put on an angry face and stare at him directly before carrying on the façade I've kept up for who-knows-how-long.

I feel over my two swords silently, taking comfort in their presence. If I hadn't created them and imbued them with spirits, I don't think I could ever have kept sane here. I suppose I should have tested that other shinigami – Tsuzuki, I believe – in order to get out, but it didn't feel right. And now, when this…. _child_ challenges me, I accepted… and he fails. And yet, I don't blame him for failure. I've known failure too many times. He'll probably come back, once more to challenge me, try to take me as his shikigami. If he wins then, I shall go with him, for I know, somehow, that he will accept me. And perhaps, in time, I will accept him.

______________

CONTINUE . . . ?


	2. bad dreams

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No Reason – Chapter two

Disclaimer: Yami no Matsuei belongs to Yoko Matsushita and that's it.

Picaro: Hi! After a long talk 'bout possible pairings (don't ask ^^;), flying vehicles (really don't ask) and the chopsticks of death (you don't wanna know, believe me! ^^;;) Ryuke and I decided to write the next chapter of this story. Much, much thanks to those who have reviewed the first chapter! *huggles* ^_^ Arigatou minna!!

+ ~ + ~ + ~ +

Ever had a bad dream? A really bad one, I mean. Currently I was suffering from one such dream. It was one of those dreams in which you know that you are dreaming, yet can't do anything against it. Yes, one of _those_. 

Right now I was strolling through the corridors of Tenku, after awaking rather rudely of aforesaid nightmare once again. Damn! That thing kept repeating itself for several nights now. One can't say that I'm afraid of high places, really not, since I am a shinigami and able to fly now and even as a human I had never really a chance to develop such a sickness. So why that dream? It was always the same, with me clinging on the sharp edge of a high (think HUGE) cliff and that person trying to shove me down. Actually no problem for a shinigami, really, but in that dream I can't fly! So I hang on, clinging desperately to the crumbly edge while that person is trying his best to get me down. Alright, that also wouldn't be such a big problem I guess, if that person hadn't looked so eerily similar to Kijin. The same blue-colored eyes, hair, even the Chinese-styled robes. The age is also more or less fitting. (Normally I have better things to do than to look at the boy. For example hold on.) Problem is, that in my dream, I know the boy. We're speaking with each other as if we're friends, but when he calls me by my name, it isn't mine. At the exact moment I realize that, I always lose my grip and fall down. One minute I know that I'm going to die any second now and the next I wake up. Nice dream! Really. At least I don't have the one with Muraki and my death anymore, but still, it's starting to unnerve me!

Another little problem with that dream is that I'm always wide-awake after it, a thing which not only gets on my nerves, but seemingly also on my appearance. Or in other words, I currently look like an owl after a forest fire, as Byakko so nicely put it. Figures that I'm currently not in the best of my modes. 

So I keep wandering aimlessly through the deserted palace nightly, not really knowing what to do. Though Tsuzuki probably wouldn't mind, I don't want to disturb him or any of the others, so I try to keep as quiet as possible. Kami-sama, I'm booo~red! With my recent luck I'd probably run into SohRyu when ghosting through the nightly Tenku. So nothing with a calming night's walk. What else? Library…Yeah, a library would be good now. Nice, quiet, and with enough good books to last a lifetime. Spontaneously, I decide to search for one. 

+ ~ + ~ + ~ +

Who'd have thought that a palace that was actually a shikigami would have such a big library? I was buried in a really old edition of Dante's ´The Divine Comedy', when I heard somebody else entering the room. Ready to go for a dive if necessary, but not really willing to, I lowered the book. After a few minutes had passed in silence, I continued reading, seeing that nothing was going to happen. "What are you reading there, Hisoka?" I nearly dropped my book in shock. I hadn't sensed anybody. 

Quickly gazing around, I could still see nobody. A ghost? Idiot, there are no such things as ghosts! At least not in Gensoukai, I think. Who else then? 

Kurika -? Ouch!

Something had poked me in my foot! Looking down, I notice that it had come from a cane. And leaning on the cane is nobody but Genbu! Immediately I feel a slight blush rise onto my face. Damn blush reflex! But I really hadn't reckoned it was the old shiki. Actually, I had nearly forgotten all about him. 

So there he stood, the old, senile-seeming shikigami that was imposed with the protection of the east. Hard to believe that he's a god like SohRyu or Suzaku. …Or Kurikara. No! I won't think about that now. That was over for now and probably the next few decades. Or centuries. Slowly I start doubting that I will ever be strong enough for RyuOh. But I'm letting my mind wander again. 

Genbu doesn't seem to be perturbed by my short lack of presence. The old man is studying the title of the book right now, not seeming to wonder about my late presence at all. Wait! My book! When did he get it?! Looks like the old man wasn't as senile as everybody thinks of him. Genbu grinned at me. "The Divine Comedy, huh? That's a good book, though a bit heavy to read maybe." 

I snatch my book back, knowing that a furious red is covering my face by now. Tricked by an old man! Damn blush! Genbu merely laughs slightly. "I certainly had my problems with some of the words. Those classic writers…" He chuckles again. "I take it that you don't. Or why else would I find you with such a heavy lecture in the middle of the library in the middle of the night?" Tucking my book away, I answer. "Of course not!" 

Oops, that came out a bit harsher than intended to. Genbu just stares at me with eyes wise with age. "Are they that bad?" 

"Huh?"

"Your nightmares?"

I stare wide-eyed at him. How does he know-? A small, friendly smile appears on his face. "It's obvious, you know. You look like you haven't had a proper sleep for more than a night and people tend to be moody with lack of sleep." I can merely nod at that statement. Was it really that obvious? Tsuzuki would make a giant fuss again. On the other side, my partner tends to be the most obvious person I've ever met in my life and the time after. Genbu took a seat opposing mine, so that he was now looking directly in my face again. "Want to speak?" 

Once again, I blink surprised. "About what?" The old shiki shrugged his shoulders. "This and that. What's troubling you that much, that it even haunts you in your dreams." He shrugs his shoulders again, while making himself more comfortable in his seat. "Or about what happened at your test, if you prefer that topic. Or, of course, we could also discuss how to steal one of Suzaku's slips without getting burned crisp by her." He grins at me.

…

"I think, I'd rather speak about my test."

+ ~ + ~ + ~ +

"…and so, we returned to Tenku." Genbu nodded slowly, looking thoughtful. "I see." The old shiki had turned out to be a quite good listener, to my surprise, giving off some quiet comments when needed without getting pushy, and not interrupting me too much. So it was no surprise that I practically spilled out all of my thoughts and worries to him at the same time I retold my story of Kurikara's test. 

Genbu's cane hit the floor in a disconnected rhythm. Turning expecting eyes on him, I asked after a long silence. "So?" The white-haired shiki didn't react. In the meantime, I was getting fidgety. I'm confused and don't know what to think of all of this and there's finally somebody who might be able to tell me what's going on. No way I'd let him go! Still no reaction. "Hey! Genbu-san!"

"Huh?!" Genbu jumped. "Oh, sorry Hisoka-kun. I got lost in my thoughts." I stare at him. What does he know that I don't know? Clearing his throat, Genbu stand up from his seat. "So… You said that he was as confused as you when he bit you?" 

"Not exactly when he did it. After that. Before he had that strange look in his eyes... Somewhat eerie." 

"Uh-huh." Genbu nodded again, as if I'd just confirmed something he was already suspecting. What? I decide to sound the old shiki out. He definitely knows something!

"Genbu-san?" "Hm?" "What are you thinking about?" He flinches. I knew it. The old guy's hiding something from me. Wagging his hands, Genbu grins feebly. "Nothing." I raise an eyebrow. He sweatdrops. "It's nothing, really. Just some old man thinking old-fashioned thoughts." A second eyebrow joins the first one. "Really. It isn't important at all." Turning around, he switches the topic. "By the way, do you know exactly what type of shikigami Kurikara is?"

I nod slowly. "A fire-dragon type, I think. And he's the god of dragons and forging. Why?" 

Genbu just gives me a secretive smile, before he ushers me out of the room and back to bed, claiming that both of us will need our sleep. Damn! As if I would be able to sleep after that. But the shiki is persistent and so I finally give in. Taking the book with me, I return to my room. Looks like it'll be a long night again. 

+ ~ + ~ + ~ +

Looking after the departing shinigami, Genbu shook his head, laughing silently. So he didn't even know what he'd gotten himself into? Quite amusing. Chuckling slightly, he started heading for his own room. Well, probably it was better that the two were both inexperienced in this. Made it more fair.

__

I really wonder who will be the first to notice?

Somewhere else in the Gensoukai; Kurikara woke with a start from a bad dream involving Sakura trees and a white-haired man in a doctor's outfit. Shaking his head, he shuddered and walked outside, unable to get the image of the blood-red moon out of his mind. He hadn't been able to fight back… it was just as bad as staring into the eyes of Kijin and knowing he was going to die. He turned around, sensing a presence of another being. "Who's there?"

Genbu appeared from behind a tree, a small grin on his face. "I see you're not the only one having problems sleeping. So, what's wrong?"

Kurikara glared back at him and replied with a dry comment. "You wouldn't happen to know any white-haired psychopaths, would you? (*cough* Farfie *cough*)" Personally, RyuOh didn't like the idea of a stranger killing him off in a dream for absolutely no reason.

Genbu looked calmly at him. "A white-haired psychopath? Sorry can't help you there. So what exactly is bothering you?" The dragon eyed the other shikigami, knowing there was probably some ulterior motive besides just listening.

"Nothing you need to know." He walked away, still conscious of Genbu's presence.

The Guardian of the East watched as the figure disappeared into the darkness. Yes, it would be interesting to see what happened… "I wonder if I should tell Tsuzuki… no, not now…"

+ ~ + ~ + ~ +

TBC... 

What's Genbu up to? Which pairing are to come? (There will be some.) Why did Kurikara bite Hisoka? Aftereffects? Stay tuned for the next chapter of No Reason!! As for that long: Please review! Pretty, pretty please, ne? ^.^


	3. quite a surprise

**No Reason – Chapter three**

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Disclaimer: Yami no Matsuei belongs to Yoko Matsushita and that's it.

****

Tsuzuki POV

"Hisoka?" My partner barely looked up, still half-asleep. "Same dream?" This had been going on for some time now; every morning, I woke to find Hisoka at the table, barely awake. "Go to bed, Hisoka."

"I can't. I can't sleep." I could barely hear him. And knowing he probably wouldn't forgive me, I grabbed him from his chair and set off to his room.

The rush of emotions as we touched probably knocked him out. I sighed; I had forgotten he was an empath. Taking one last look at his unconscious form, now tucked safely in bed, I went off in search of SohRyu. I figured he'd know most about whatever was going on. I had no idea myself, with the vague knowledge that his dreams involved someone who looked disturbingly like Kijin. Chuckling, I remembered his insistence that "It's not my dream!" Still, whoever's dream it was, it was more frequent than those of Muraki, and it bothered both of us. I don't like seeing Hisoka like that. He's my partner.

+ ~ + ~ + ~ +

It was nothing short of a collision course, with neither looking where they walked. So it was really no surprise when there was a loud crash.

"Kurikara?"

"Tsuzuki."

The shinigami tilted his head, glancing at the much shorter shiki. "Ne Kurikara, you look as tired as Hisoka. Can't sleep either?"

The shikigami's head jerked up suddenly. "Hisoka? Your partner, right? You wouldn't happen to know _why_ he can't sleep, would you?" He had a sneaking suspicion 'why'.

"Yeah, I'm going to see Sohryu about it. He's been having really strange nightmares for awhile."

RyuOh froze for a moment before tugging at Tsuzuki's pants. "I'm coming with you." The shinigami only looked at him curiously before following.

+ ~ + ~ + ~ +

"Be-be- beeb!" 

/Error 74946. No access to data…/ Frowning, I shut the window before logging out. So this wasn't working either… Feeling my frown turn into a glare, I turned away from the screen and prepared to leave the room where I spent the past couple of hours. Just why couldn't we find any clues about these damn wormholes? Those things just appeared, sometimes sucking some unlucky fellow in, and vanished again. That made no sense… Kurikara would laugh his head off if he saw me like this.  Frowning again, I shook my head. 

Remembering the fire dragon's last collision with my son and the two shinigami, I felt the stern expression return to my face. That boy… wanting to bound with Kurikara. Hadn't he already done enough? Like Tsuzuki said, the RyuOh was nobody to be gained by anybody. Not him. His powers were too great – the destructive potential too high and his temper too short. Having him run around in Gensoukai was inevitably going to end up in some sort of disaster or another. 

My concern increased as I realized that this was just exactly what the shiki in question was doing right now. I'd have to go and do something-? 

" No, no! She said right, I'm sure! Believe me!"

My expression softened a bit. Obviously Tsuzuki-san was searching for me – and had lost his direction once again. 

"No! Can't you distinguish left from right?!"

" Of course I can! And we have to go right!"

"… Then why are you pointing to the left?"

Wait a sec! Kurikara?!

+ ~ + ~ + ~ +

Beaming in delight, I froze as I saw the expression on Sohryu's face. Uh-oh. That was going to be trouble. 

"Kurikara."

His growl was pure hate. I sweatdropped. 

"Sohryu."

Though he kept his nonchalant exterior, I felt the shikigami next to me tensing up. 

"What are you doing here?"

"Huh. Funny you're asking that, Sohryu. We've searching for you." 

"You?" The glare directed itself on me. Owowowow. Definitely trouble. "Tsuzuki-san?" Next to me Kurikara shrugged. "You talk with him Tsuzuki. Unlike me, he seems to listen to you."  A nerve twitched below the water dragon's right eye. Involuntary I wished that RuyOh would _really_ stop provoking the blue-haired warrior. 

"Uhm- I was worried 'cause Hisoka was having these strange nightmares about some guy who looks a lot like Kijin, but he insists that it's somebody else's dream, so I figured that you'd probably know most about it, and then I ran into Kurikara here, and it turned out that he also couldn't sleep…"

I stopped at Sohryu's expression.  "You … ran into him? Here in Tenkuu?"  I sweatdropped. I hadn't noticed that until now. "Um… Yeah." I gave him my best sheepish expression, rubbing the back of my head. Behind me, Kurikara yawned.

"How did you come in?"  Unfazed by the water dragon's lack of friendliness – I suspected that he was already used to it – Kurikara yawned again. "I went in, what else? Your security here's really lax SohRyu."

Sohryu frowned, seemingly noting for the first time the weary state RyuOh was in. "… What happened?"

One red eye watched him lazily. "Can't sleep." 

Slowly I began to understand why it was said that Kurikara was constantly bad-tempered. Sohryu's frown deepened. "Nightmares?" Kurikara gave him a provoking smirk. "Clever guy." 

Luckily the blue-haired shiki didn't react to RyuOh's provocation, especially for me, since I had once again managed to get myself wedged in between the two of them. Minutes passed in silence. I was getting fidgety. "Sohryu, about Hisoka's nightmares…" 

+ ~ + ~ + ~ +

Both shiki's listened in silence to Tsuzuki's somewhat jumbled explanation about his partners ill shape and the accompanying nightmares.  

When the shinigami ended, Sohruy's expression had turned from angered to thoughtful. Kurikara had a similar expression on his face that made Tsuzuki quite uncomfortable. One upset dragon-god was bad. Two… Tsuzuki rather didn't want to think about it.

"… I think we need to talk with Hisoka."

"Mmm… Is that really necessary?"

Tsuzuki looked surprised at Kurikara. The short shiki seemed a bit uncomfortable with the idea of meeting with his partner. "Kurikara… You don't want to?"  The shikigami twitched. "Of course I don't want to!! Every time I meet that kid it ends up with a huge mess and everybody blaming _me_ for it!!"

Tsuzuki sweatdropped. Somehow he could see his point. Nevertheless, the well-being of Hisoka was more important. 

"Yes." 

"*grumble* That's exactly what I feared." 

+ ~ + ~ + ~ +

"… So?" I was excited. 

It wasn't exactly everyday that I got woken up by a ferociously glaring SohRyu and a sheepish looking Tsuzuki. It also wasn't exactly the most pleasant way of waking up, to be honest. Glancing up at SohRyu, I notice the disbelieving look on the dragon shogun's face. 

"He… bit you? He actually came in contact with your blood?"

I frown. My blood? Kurikara had had some of my blood on his lips as he drew back after that accident. Did he lick it away? I haven't been paying attention to the shikigami's actions back then, I'd been to occupied with the impossibility of the whole situation…. But had he? I concentrated harder.

" Yeah, I think so. Why?"

I immediately knew that something wasn't all right. SohRyu looked devastated, as if he didn't know whether to laugh, cry or something else. I really didn't want to know. The expression on the shikigami lord's face would actually be funny if it hadn't been such a serious subject. He settled for a surprised frown. Tsuzuki looks blessedly clueless. 

Before the silence could grow awful a muffled noise rang out from just behind the door. A strangled gasp, followed by Genbu's chiding voice. 

"… -what are you doing here? Standing in the middle of the doorway! Won't you go in?" 

"…" 

The answer was too low for me to hear. Seconds later smiling Genbu shoved in a certain yelping shikigami with black hair. Following them was a speechless-looking Rikugou. 

"Hi."

" …Ohayo, SohRuy–san, Tsuzuki-san, Hisoka-kun."

I ignore them, being too shell-shocked by the third person who'd entered. Giving me an annoyed look, Kurikara frowned. "What?"

I was speechless. 

"Ah, I see you've already figured it out on your own."

Grinning widely, Genbu turned to me. 

"Let me be the first one to congratulate you to your new shiki."

I blink. Wha-? 

Kurikara snorted. 

"My… new shiki?" 

"Of course. The process which bounds you two together is already in full progress."

CRASH!! At Genbu's words Kurikara had dropped one of his swords that was promptly too perplexed to catch itself. 

"The… bounding process?" RuyOh's voice trembled.

I still couldn't really grasp it. Kurikara RyuOh – mine? My shiki? „ But... but Tsuzuki didn't tell me anything about that!" 

Genbu chuckled. "Naturally. Seeing that all of us who follow Tsuzuki are of the summon type… he wouldn't know that the contract with a parasitic type is settled with the exchange of your blood."

Blood? My blood? Yeah, right. Kurikara has bitten me. He must have gotten some drops of my blood back then…

So… that means… He's mine?! Kurikara RyuOh's mine? My shikigami? According to everything that's been said… He's mine. Mine, mine, mine, mine, MINE! HE's MINE!! The most powerful shikigami in Gensoukai's mine!! Mi-

– PARASITIC TYPE?!?!?!

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CONTINUE…?

Whee~! Ryuke here. We're actually into three chapters! And getting reviews! ^^;; ah… we still haven't figured out a pairing here… should it be TsuzukixHisoka or HisokaxKurikara or something completely random, I have _no_ idea. Currently TsuzukixHisoka pairing is up by one vote. *grin* No, we're not actually voting… oh wait, yes we are Heh ^^;;;; See Picaro? This is what happens when you let me ramble. Ooh! Nagi…… (Yes, I mention Nagi even in a YnM section… blame the rabid Nagi fan ^^;;) Nagi… Wait a sec, I'm supposed to say this aren't I? Please review? Pretty please? Pretty please with a lemon on top? (jk I don't think either of us can write lemons; I can't anyways…)


	4. between dragon and human

No Reason – Chapter four 

Disclaimer: Yami no Matsuei belongs to Yoko Matsushita and that's it.

Huge HUGE thanks to all who have reviewed!! ^.^  Also thanks for voting.^^  No big ramblings, on with the story now! 

+ ~  Kurikara´s POV ~ +

Fuck!!

Why me?!

Why did it have to be him of all people?!

There had already been more than enough people who had sought to capture me, and I've always known how to prevent it. –And now I got caught by a kid?! How pathetic! And I couldn't even blame anyone because it was my own blasted fault!! 

I picked up a small stone and hurled it as far as I could. (And that's not a short distance, believe me.) _Stupid_ idiot!! Whatever had made me bite him must have also switched my brain off. Bite him! Out of all things! I'm such an idiotic fool!! Once again I wondered just _what had caused me to do this fateful error. All I could come up with, though, was that I had been somehow impressed with his stubbornness, even though it was plain stupid. Hn. What a great reason to mess up your entire life._

I sighed angrily and kicked another pebble. It had already been quite a while since I left my _soon-to-be_ _partner_ and the rest of them back at Tenkuu, but I really didn't want any company right now. Except Futsu no Mitama and Ame no Murakumo of course. The two swords were currently strapped on my back as I kept wandering deeper and deeper into the depths of Gensoukai´s flora. They both knew me well enough to keep silent when I was in such a mood. 

The expression on their faces had been quite amusing when they heard that I was a parasitic type. Well, if I had to be honest, I myself didn't know that little fact until recently. You surprised? Hey, it's not as if I'd ever been anybody's shikigami before! So how was I supposed to know?! 

Damn!! I just HAD to get some of his blood into my mouth, didn't I?! When I came to the Jyo-ni Sinsyou´s palace, I already had had a bad feeling about this, and it promptly had turned out to be the worst of my imaginations. Yeah, I've already considered something like that before, when I had that strange dream for the second time. Switching dreams never meant something good. 

But to consider sharing the kid's body… (An actually shudder ran over my body) No thanks, I like this one quite well. One could even go as far as to say that I'm somehow attached to it. Really. 

And all this 'master'-shit… I have better to do than to play lapdog for some spoiled human brat! #Kurikara-sama…# 

 Ame´s 'voice' tore me out of my mental ranting. Stopping shortly, I snapped "What!?!" 

Feeling my annoyance, the blade decided that it was better to keep silent rather than risking my wrath. 

"Hmp!"

With this, I continued going. 

Just to find myself face-to-face with a wormhole.

+ ~ + ~ + ~ +

You know, there are bad things to do. And stupid things. There are also crazy, absolutely brain-whacked things one could do. 

Really.

But I swear there has never before been something as absolutely crazy, brain-whacked, stupidly foolish and embarrassing as this!! 

Ok. So I fell through one of those stupid wormholes again. In the middle of Tenkuu. On my way to the bathroom. (Hey, don't laugh!) So I was now here again, somewhere in the middle of Gensoukai, hugging Kurikara.-.-; Yeah, I know, but what would you do when you're falling face first through a wormhole?! Somebody who's flailing helplessly doesn't exactly look what he's holding onto!

Right now I was laying pretty much draped over the smaller shiki, nearly squishing him in the process. Hey, I told you that it wasn't on purpose! He just happened to be in the way when I finished my surprise trip. Kurikara growled under me. Ouch! I flinched. Being that close, I could literally feel his anger rising. 

"Would you eventually care to get OFF of me?!" 

I quickly scrambled away, knowing that my cheeks were tinted red once again. Damn blush reflex! Well, I _tried_ to scramble away. But with two floating edges touching your throat, it wasn't that easy. Not that I'd have to fear being killed, but that still doesn't mean that I have to like it. So I froze. Kurikara cursed once more. 

Wow. Shikigami´s could get pretty imaginative when pissed, did you know that? I didn't even know half of the curses he used. 

"- for the last time! GET OFF!!!"

"… Your swords."

"Huh? What's with them?"

He blinked at me, seemingly noting my predicament for the first time. "I though you shinigami's were already dead."

"We are. … but that doesn't mean that I'm keen on experiencing it again."

"Oh. Makes sense." 

Turning to his swords, he ordered "Futsu. Ame. Release him." The blades seemed to have their doubts, but finally released their hold on me. I quickly scrambled away. No need to piss him off even more. I already knew from experience that the shiki tended to get nasty when annoyed.

Brushing the dirt of his clothes off, Kurikara gave me a suspicious look. "What are you doing here anyway? Already bored with your babysitters?" 

I tried to look as unfazed as possible. The KouRyu didn't have to know that I nearly died of shock. They really had to do something about those annoying wormholes. This was getting dangerous. 

"There I have to agree with ya. They're really going to become a problem."

Huh? I gave him a surprised look. "… How did you know what I was thinking?" 

Kurikara gave me a pointed look. "Because you were thinking it loud, maybe?" I frowned. "I didn't say it loud." "Of course you said it loud, I could clearly hear you. They really have to do something about those annoying wormholes. This is getting dangerous. –Right?"

I was still suspicious. I was absolutely sure that I didn't say that out loud. But that was exactly what I was thinking. So how…? #Kurikara – sama…# I nearly jumped at the swords voice. Damn, I forgot that his two swords had both spirits endowed within them. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see a quick smirk pass on the petite shiki´s lips. Obviously RyuOh had noticed my uneasiness. The sword (I couldn't figure out which one it was – the longer or the shorter one) continued.

# …he really didn't say anything.#

Now it was Kurikara's turn to be surprised. "He didn't-? But I could clearly hear-! Hey, wait a minute!" He abruptly turned to me again. "What type of shinigami are you?"

I blinked, surprised by his demeanour. "We have no types-" He broke me off, waving his hand in an unnerved manner. "I know, I know. What I meant was what kind of special ability do you have? I know that all of you have one…"

Oh. I blinked again, finally understanding. "Empathy. I'm an empath… and I have strong healing abilities…" I got cut off again. "That's enough! An empath is someone who's able to feel other peoples emotions, right?" I nod weakly. "And sometimes I can also read their thou…" I trail off, suddenly realizing what has happened. Thoughts! Kurikara had read my thoughts! I couldn't believe it! Was the bounding already that far progressed?    

Kurikara had gotten the same result. The red-eyed shiki seemed to be a lot more disturbed by it, though. I wondered why. Wasn't it me who'd have to panic? After all I had absolutely no desire to end up like Terazuma. I automatically shuddered at that thought. 

To tell the truth, I _HAD_ panicked. Greatly. Right after Kurikara had left and I'd realized that it was _not_ some sort of ill-fated joke but the harsh, bitter truth. It took Tsuzuki quite a lot of effort to calm me enough so that I would listen to his explanations. (After I'd beaten him up for congratulating me for getting into this mess.) A parasitic type! I still could just shake my head about this development. The only type I immediately excluded from my list of what shiki I wanted.  Well, how's it said? Those who stick their nose too high up are going to fall over it in the end. Considering this, I'd say that I've quite a fall after me. I've never even considered the possibility that the most powerful shikigami of all could be a parasite. 

According to his reaction, Kurikara as well. The shiki had given the idea of fierce reaction a whole new meaning when Genbu mentioned that he and I had become partners. Sheesh. That guy definitely knew how to let everybody within hearing range know what he was thinking about something. Totally different to me. The others were surely freaking out about my renewed vanishing. Tsuzuki-

"What are you thinking about? You're making a face…" 

I blinked, taken by surprise. "Nothing." Kurikara grimaced. "Sure, nothing. Because of that you also look like you just got the message that your best friend died." I frowned. "I said it was nothing." "Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say." Strangely that made me angrier than continual questioning. 

"About Tsuzuki..."

"How he and the others reaction of you vanishing again?" 

"Yes."

Kurikara looked straight into my eyes (actually he had to look up to do so). "That's nonsense. You can worry later about their reactions." I raised an eyebrow. "Say, what are you going to do now? You're quite a bit away from the palace, and many of the resident shikigamis don't like humans…" 

He didn't have to finish the sentence. I already understood what he meant. I started getting hectic. What _was_ I supposed to do now? Just waiting wouldn't be clever if there were really other shikis around… 

"So?"

I realized that Kurikara was about to go and leave me. "Matte!" Turning, he raised an eyebrow, seemingly not caring at all. "What?" I noticed that I didn't know what to say. The shikigami sighed. "Fine, move your ass! You can stay with me until they come and pick you up."

I hurriedly caught up to him. For a while we went in silence. "… Thank you." "Hm?" "That you're letting me come along… I know that you don't like humans." Kurikara snorted. "It's not about you…" "What?" "Forget it!! I said that it's about that fucking partner idea, not you!" I gave him a questioning look. The KouRyu continued despite himself. 

"It's sheer stupidity if they really believe that such a thing works. Being equally ranked partners… That doesn't work! No matter what, they're lying to themselves!" I frowned. "With Tsuzuki, it seems to work." Kurikara made a scornful noise. "And why are they calling him 'master' then? Or are they able to act against his direct orders? That whole thing's just stupid. You loose all your independence…" 

"Is it that why you don't want to become partners with me?" The fire type grinned humourlessly. "Don't take it personally, but if I'd have to choose a master, I'd prefer someone a bit more mature. I'm actually surprised that my name was on their list at all… I know about the sorting process, you know." 

I evaded his eye. (He had his other one closed again.) "You weren't on the list. Your name was crossed out." "Oh?" "I just went through the list of all possible ones, and it attracted my attention…" 

Raising an eyebrow, he looked mildly amused. "And what sort of combination do you have anyway? Preferred ones, I mean." I looked away. "Water and ground types. Maybe even wind, if it's supporting or defence. But not any fire type at all." Kurikara broke into a laugh. "No fire types? Well, then I congratulate! I'm an offensive fire type." He laughed again. "That means that we're fitting together just perfectly." I nodded silently.

"Riko was perfectly qualified."

"Yeah, but just being qualified obviously isn't enough…" 

I had nothing to retort to that. Was it as he'd said? I and Riko really hadn't been getting along that well with each other. Or, better said, I hadn't come along that well with the optimistic little shiki. I just hadn't known how to deal with his cheerfulness. I felt bad again. Just because of my foolish lusting for power the little fellow had died. Just because of me. 

For a time we continued our walk in silence, each one lost in his own thoughts. Kurikara was leading the way as if he'd have a certain destination in his mind. I wondered what it was. 

In a clearing with rocks big enough to sit comfortably on, we finally stopped. Sitting down, Kurikara seized me with a thoughtful look. "You still don't understand, do you?" "Huh?" I didn't know what he meant. The shiki´s lips formed into a strange grin. He didn't really look amused. "Mmm, nothing." 

I was irritated. I don't like being irritated. "So… Do you already know what to do to cancel that damn bounding process?" This time my irritation must have been displayed clearly on my face. Kurikara grinned half-heartedly. "How I'd know that you wanted to cancel it? I didn't. But I saw your face when Genbu trumpeted forth that I'm a parasitic type." He paused shortly, looking away. "Also because the whole thing's mainly my fault. You didn't pass the test. Nothing like that was supposed to happen; I just messed up. We have to cancel it. Somehow."

I jumped up. "But- !" Kurikara glared at me. "No. No but. It shouldn't have happened. You don't want a parasite, and I don't want a master. That's it! There's no reason to let it happen like that!!" He stared for a minute at my dumbfounded face and turned then abruptly away. "Do you know? Do you actually know what it means for a shikigami to team up with one of you?" 

His voice was barely a whisper. I didn't understand him. Wasn't it me who should be worried about the effects? Why was he acting like that? He was even crazier than Tsuzuki – and that meant something. 

"You shinigami don't understand at all. Just to be of a little use we give up our freedom, our free will, our life as it was like now… Hell! Even our bodies and souls up. A partnership might be based on equality, but that's just a little pretty white lie. In the end, shikigami is just another word for a tool.

… 

…I have no intention to end like that." 

He directed his sword at me. I could feel my eyes widen as I felt that he was serious this time, not like before where he'd just been surprised. This time it was for real. 

"There is just one way to cancel the process."

______________

CONTINUE . . . ?

Waaaahhh! This fic got abandoned! T.T *sniffles* Means, that I'm now alone writing on it. Ryuke´s still doing the beta-ing, though. Because of this it also took so long to get the new chapter up (and not maybe because I've re-done it three times ^^;). Anyways, pretty pretty please review, ne?^^


	5. doubts and worries

No Reason – Chapter five 

Disclaimer: Yami no Matsuei belongs to Yoko Matsushita and that's it.

Stuff: Oi, oi, oi… What a late update! ´`.´`; I should have added this long ago, but better late than never. ^^ This fic contains spoilers for the Gensoukai arc, so… You don´t want to know, you don´t read it, kay? Though since we all know that it´s also AU, there won´t be that much. (In case anyone doesn´t know what I mean, theria.net´s a great place to look it up.^.~)

+ ~  Hisoka´s POV ~ +

"There is just one way to cancel the progress."

Kurikara smirked at me, both of his dark red eyes glowing with malicious glee. 

"And that is to kill one of us two."

The edge of the sword trailed the curve of my neck, softly scratching it enough to draw a little blood, but not enough to do any mentionable harm. The smirk widened.

"I wonder… Regarding your powers, what would happen if I just cut your head off, here and now? Would you still come back to life again?"

Suddenly I felt ill. I felt it. I felt his emotions as clearly as if they were my own ones. His burning hate and anger, the rising sour lump of annoyance this whole situation was building up in him and more. Much more. 

_-I grinned maliciously as I saw his eyes widen in shocked surprised. I smirk as I feel him reading my emotions. What a disgusting feeling!_

_It felt like someone shuffling through them, pillowing them up in front of my mental eyes. Making me remember everything again that I've stashed away that carefully. Making me admit to each one of them. _

_I had chosen the sword with great care, knowing that Futsu no Mitama wouldn't hesitate killing him, as would Ame. I can feel his fear now. It was there, tainting the air and his face in the same way, waking the killer instinct in me. Gods! How I wanted to tear his white little throat out, to rip his limbs off and bury my hands deep into his torso, ripping his bloody innards out one by one until even the shinigami wouldn't come back to life again… _

I shudder at the mental picture of it, the black part of my mind urging me to make it true… Just let go of every bit of sanity I'm clinging to and feast on his broken body… My hand that wasn't holding the sword was clenching and unclenching by now, being a visible sign of my inner turmoil. Just a cut… Just a cut and I'd be free again.- I withdrew with a audible gasp.

Gods! Kurikara tilted his head slightly, meeting my eyes with an amused look. The shikigami knew that I had read his thoughts. Licking his suddenly dry lips, RyuOh seized me up calmly. This time, the blade passed my throat without as much as drawing blood, swinging lazily back to its starting point. Kurikara grinned. I froze.

His slit eyes caught mine, gleaming with evil intention. Just as I was preparing for the worst, the fire-shikigami's grin widened. Seconds later the pressure of the blade vanished as it returned to its place in its hilt. 

Stepping back, the Dragon King studied me with a mocking smirk before he turned to leave. 

"You can count yourself lucky that I´m not half as bad as Sohryu, and the others seem to think I am." 

I stared at him. A joke? That was all a joke?! Seeing my flabbergasted face, he started to laugh. "What? Did you think that I was serious?" 

He laughed a bit more.

"…" Inwardly, I groaned. Why, just why, did I always have to get caught up with such crazy shikis? Wait, make that ´guys´. I mustn't forget my workmates back in Enma-Cho.

The sound of a breaking stick brought my attention back to Kurikara. The Kouryu had reached the end of the clearing and was about to leave me completely. He must have felt my lingering gaze, as he turned and returned my inquiring look wit a smug expression. 

"Don't tell me that you expected me to stay with you."

I faltered. I hadn't thought about that, yet. As he was becoming my shiki, it would be just normal that he'd stay near me. On the other side, he'd also made it pretty clear that he wanted to cancel the bounding and I _did_ fail his test, so had no rights on him. Except that wasn't what I had been thinking about. 

"No… That's not it. You're just going to leave me here?" I paused to give him a reproachful look. "You said that I could stay with you until the others find me again."

For a moment, Kurikara just stared at me, stunned. Then he started laughing, looking honestly amused. "Yeah. But one should believe that you'd be able to survive 5 minutes on your own. Besides, they shouldn't need to get here anyway… I don't care much for their company, and I think, they also don't care for mine."

He turned to go, but decided otherwise in mid-move. "A piece of advice, though. Go back to where you came from. Return to Juo-Cho and take that partner of yours with you."

+ ~ + ~ + ~ +

Seeing the hurt in the kid's eyes as he processed my words, I added. "The Gensoukai´s currently a very dangerous place, not only because of the wormholes, especially for two unsuspecting shinigamis like you. It would be the best for everyone involved if you would listen to my advice." Pushing an irritating branch out of my way, I turned to go. –This time for real.

"Well… Take care! Especially when dealing with Sohryu´s children."

With this, I left him standing in the clearing. I could just hope that he'd listen to what I've said, or otherwise he was going to find himself and his partner in more trouble then they'd like to. I had meant what I said about Sohryu´s children. I had met the older one just for short time, but it had already been long enough to tell that something wasn't right. 

From what I'd heard about ReiTai Kijin, he was supposed to be very calm and gentle, caring about others. Not the type that attacked without thinking about the consequences. And now the very same guy attacked me without caring about what his attacks could do to those who were behind me? Destroying a whole forest just to get me? A bit suspicious, if you asked me. I wouldn't be surprised if a certain old acquaintance of mine would be involved. We will see.

The rush of something big travelling through the air as well as the following faint noise of raised voices (Ahh! Tsuzuki! Take your hands off of me! – G-Gomen Hisoka!! I was just so glad that you're not hurt…) announced that his companions had found the boy. A few moments later I could hear them leave.

Gone…

Now I was alone again. Just me and my swords, like it had been for so long. Once there had been a time when I enjoyed the company of others, but now; now I don't know how to react to them anymore. Not really. It was just as hard as figuring out who I really was now. Murderer, monster, traitor or mere weapon…?

I didn't know. I honestly didn't. Sohryu had slashed my right eye and I still didn't hate him, right? Once again a thing I wasn't sure of. 

Like so many things recently.

Why did it bother me so much to become the kid's shiki, honestly? Was it really the loss of freedom or the lack of experience of the shinigami, as I pretended? His character? Or was it because it was wholly my fault that it had happened? That I wouldn't get away without restrictions had been obvious from the very first moment that I touched Gensoukai again. I guess it could have been worse.

Still… The thing with Sohryu´s son bothered me. What could have reasoned such a radical change in behaviour? He hadn't given a damn about the soldiers he was supposed to lead against me (and whom I'd killed later. Blame my short temper.) No, remembering his speech, they were nothing more than decor for him. Such an unconditional loyalty to his father…

Unconditional loyalty…!

My eyes widened with sudden realization. So this was what he was up to! Suddenly all facts fitted together perfectly, leading to a shocking result. If this was true, my binding with Hisoka was the last thing to worry about. There was still hell to pay, and if I was right, it was coming closer goddamn fast!!

I cursed under my breath, startling both Futsu and Ame. No time to explain. I immediately had to warn the others…! I could just hope that it was only the boy. Whether he wanted to or not, this time Sohryu just _had_ to listen to me!

A dubious sound caught my attention. What was this? The surrounding area had grown suspiciously silent, a clear sign that somebody was on the hunt. But who should be stupid enough to try and hunt –me-?!

It was coming closer now. My trained instincts kicking in, I changed into a fighting stance, my hands resting lightly on the handles of my trusted swords. 

It was close now.   

I still couldn't quite believe that somebody could be that keen on dying. There! In the back, coward!! I whirled around, ready to blast whoever it was into afterlife – And froze in shock as cold metal dug itself right into my forehead.

Slowly dropping to my knees, I still could hear my swords cry out in horror as from far away before darkness engulfed me.

+ ~ + ~ + ~ +

It was on the break of the late afternoon when we finally arrived back at the palace. Despite Tsuzuiki´s attempts to cheer me up (he had been really worried about me), I was still in a bad mood. 

It wasn't really bad, actually, but more like thoughtful. The meeting with Kurikara RyuOh had given me more than enough things to busy my mind with, honestly. Was it really that bad for a shikigami to become the partner of one of us? It was hard to believe that. 

Especially while watching Tsuzuki falling face first from Byakko´s back once again, as he tried to climb from the huge white tiger's back. The youngest of the four gods was laughing gently at his master's clumsiness before turning into his human avatar form and helping my partner up. Even I was hard put to keep my stern face at Tsuzuki´s wails sometimes.  

If there was one thing about my partner that I could trust, then it was the older shinigami´s ability to feel when I felt bad and cheer me up. No clue how he did that, but he did and I'm always grateful for it. –Though I'd rather let myself being roasted in the fires of hell before willingly admitting that to anyone.

…It's important that you're seeing them as friends rather than pets…

That's what he'd said, right? Remembering the words with which Tsuzuki had explained the working of a partnership with a shikigami to me, I silently trudge down the corridors next to him and the chirpy tiger-shiki. As a friend, huh? Was it that what Kurikara had meant? The reason the he was refusing me even yet? That-

"- Hisoka? Hisoka!"

"Huh?!"

I jerked out of my gloomy thought. Probably a bit too abruptly, since both other men (I'll not count that Byakko was actually a summonable god who had just taken on the form of a human) were watching me with worried expressions. Tsuzuki was the first to speak again. (Guess he was already used to such reactions from me.)

"Ne, Hisoka, we were speaking about how dangerous these wormholes are getting and what could have happened to you." Byakko nodded, emphasising what his master had said. "That's true. Honestly, I´m surprised that you managed to get along in that forest without getting hurt. It's not the most human-friendly in Gensoukai, really not." 

He looked at me, and I knew that he was waiting for an explanation. What to say? Somehow I didn't really want to tell them that it had been Kurikara who had let me through the forest. Tsuzuki would understand, I'm sure, but Byakko… Despite the fact that the western guardian beast didn't seem to hate the Dragon King like Sohryu did, I couldn't be sure of his reaction. Before I came to make up a halfway plausible story, fate interfered.

Better said, Touda interfered.

"Tsuzuki!!" The fire shiki sped the last few meters to where we were standing, looking worried. Seeing the shiki´s condition, Tsuzuki immediately sobered up. "Touda! What's wrong?" 

He didn't have to ask if something was wrong. When it caused even Touda to act in such a way, there was definitely something wrong. Very wrong. Behind Tsuzuki, I blinked. I was still not used on seeing the self-proclaimed ´bad´ shiki without his visor. The fact that with its removal his hair had also grown long again wasn't particularly helping.   

Short after his visor had been destroyed while fighting with Kurikara, Touda had started acting strange. Turned out that the visor hadn't only been a device to restrict the fire types destructive powers, but also had been slowly brainwashing him. Brainwashed to obey the emperor's orders. So when the visor had forcefully been removed, that had left Touda in more than just a struggle about his sanity. For a short span of time he'd gone crazy, fighting for the control of his own body. 

In that time he had even attacked Tsuzuki, whom he'd accidentally had mistaken for the celestial emperor. – a thing the shiki was still very sorry about. Especially since he obviously liked my partner very much. On the positive side, it had been enough to tear him out of his rage and put him back to normal. Still, I could feel his feelings of guilt leak out of his uncaring shell every time he laid sight on Tsuzuki. I didn't enjoy it. Though, today was different. 

Today the only thing coming from Touda was a feeling of alertness, putting me immediately also in the same state. The fire shiki gave us a weary look. 

"Somebody has intruded Tenkuu. It's a spirit that powerful and with such an amount of viciousness that half of our systems have gone berserk."

Behind me, Byakko gasped. Touda paid no attention to him. "Sohryu sent me to look for you. You and Hisoka have to return to your rooms immediately. Stay there until we generals have found the intruder." I already knew what Tsuzuki was going to say before he started speaking. 

"I want to help."

"No."

"But-" Touda gave him a look that made him turn chibi and hide behind me. "No." Seeing the shinigami wincing at his harsh words, he added. "This intruder is powerful, Tsuzuki. So powerful that Sohryu even sent Kijin and Tenku to their rooms and forbid them to come out until it was over. " He gave him a stern look. "Please go to your rooms. None of us wants you to get hurt."

Please? Touda said ´please´?! That comment was startling enough without the expression on this shiki´s face. So it came that neither of us protested when we were led to our rooms.

What none of us had considered was the possibility that the intruder could already be waiting there. 

______________

CONTINUE . . . ?

Hey there! I´m back again and with a new chapter – finally! ^^ Yeah, I know, I know, my writing speed´s anything else than fast… Gomen! ^^;  I hope this chapter makes sense since I was in a pretty strange mood when I wrote this. If not, just let me know! Anyway, about your questions; I´m still not knowing which pairing I´m now definitely going to write. (And that despite the voting… Gomen, gomen, I´m such a baka.^.^; I´ll work on it!) Especially since I´m not the best at writing any sort of romances or such… ^^; But there will some of it, definitely! Just keep youre eyes open and let me know what you think of it! 

In other words: Thanks for reviewing and please keep doing it!! ^_^


	6. just listen

No Reason – Chapter six 

Disclaimer: Yami no Matsuei belongs to Yoko Matsushita and that's it.

+ ~ Hisoka´s POV ~ +

Wow.

Just what was going on here? 

Had everyone turned crazy now? 

Turning to make another round through my room, I shook my head. Wrong question. I should be rather questioning myself __when__ everyone has gotten crazy. Ever since the two shikigamis had ushered us into our rooms, I had been wondering what was going on. I had been doing this for quite a while now, if I might note.

And all the time I couldn't get rid of the feeling that there was something more to it. What had Touda said? Something bad and mighty had invaded the palace, vicious enough to set off every single alarm in the area. Really, from the fuss they're making about it, you should think that they were to evacuate everyone. Still, it was so eerily silent that it almost scared me. 

Almost.

After all, I'd just suffered one of the biggest shocks of my life when I thought Kurikara was seriously going to kill me, had witnessed how Tsuzuki´s generals were continually patrolling through the hallways (I think they were searching for the invader), and the fact that Tsuzuki was in the room just next to me. I could count on Tsuzuki, though. No matter what, he'd shown up and saved me when things got worse. If he didn't get molested by Muraki. Not to mention the fact that I was an immortal ´god of death´ (-I like the Japanese shinigami better-) with nearly unlimited healing powers. That and the fact that I was over two years dead.

Like I said, I wasn't afraid at all about their strange behaviour.

No, not at all.

Someone tapped my shoulder.

"GYAAaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!"

"Whoa. Are you always that chicken?"

I stared at the dark-haired shiki in front of me. Kurikara RyuOh was standing in front of me, one hand propped onto his hip in an already familiar pose, watching me with a slight surprised and much more impish expression while I was still trying to calm my poor heart. It sounded as if it was going to explode every moment. 

Kurikara smirked at me. "I didn't surprise you, did I?" Despite my shocked state I managed to glower at him, only to earn myself an amused stare.

"Kurikara!" I huffed. The dragon-king merely raised an eyebrow. All right, so maybe this wasn't the most clever thing to say… It was very fitting to what I was thinking that moment, though.

"What… What are you doing here?" In the middle of Tenkuu. Wasn't he worried in the least that the older shikigami would sense him? The seemed-to-be child shrugged.

"I was in the area and wanted to see if you were listening to my advice. Obviously not." I scowled at him. He didn't think I'd really believe him, did he? That was absolute nonsense. 

The expelled shiki grinned. "All right, all right…. Lying to an empath… difficult…" The scowl got deeper. "I remembered something important I think you should know." 

I rose a sceptical eyebrow. "Is that so?" Kurikara gave me a serious look, suddenly dropping the smart-ass act completely. 

"It is. In fact, it is even very important that you listen to me." 

Stepping forward, he utterly surprised me by reaching out and touching my hand. Resisting the urge to immediately draw back, I gave him a shocked stare. I didn't like being touched, as an empath, you also wouldn't; and, from what I've seen, Kurikara couldn't stand it as well. Yet he was here, initiating it willingly. "Kuri…kara?"

"What is it? What-" Noticing something trickling down his forehead, I caught my breath. "Why are you bleeding?!" Kurikara just gave me a serious look that made me shiver inwardly. 

Like this, his posture belied his physical appearance. Seeing him like that made you realize that you weren't speaking with some small thirteen year old child, but with a spirit old and experienced enough to stick up against the gathered power of all the twelve heavenly generals. Now also considering that it took them about a whole week to take him down and that he was still alive, it made him a pretty darn strong entity. 

Well, guess he wouldn't be called ´flame-surrounded dragon king´* if he weren't. 

After all that was the reason why I'd chosen him out of all possible shikis, right?

A slight squeeze, neither too soft nor too rough, called me back from my thoughts. Kurikara was dead serious by now. 

"… boy, what I'm telling you now… I know that it's going to be hard to believe. I don't even ask you to believe me, just to listen and think over it." I frowned. What was it that was serious enough to make him act like that. Like hell I'd listen!

"Just start speaking."

He seems surprised at my words. For a moment, a connection between our feelings opened, and I could clearly feel his astonishment at them. Astonishment …and relief? I decided to keep that thought for later. This was nothing to let go. 

"It's about…"

"HISOKA!!!"

At the sound of Tsuzuki´s voice, we both whirl around, half-expecting my brash partner to stand in the middle of the doorway. Luckily he wasn't. Seeing us like that, one couldn't be too sure what he'd think about what exactly we were doing. (He had had some bad experiences you see? Most of them including somebody whose name started with ´M´.) 

The door shook again under the heavy bangs of his hands. "Hisoka!! Let me in!" I frowned, but moved nonetheless to open the door. Something tugged at my hand. 

Sparing a startled look back, I realised that it was Kurikara. The fire dragon seemed reluctant to let go of my hand. 

"Kurikara…"

"Don't go."

Now I was clearly surprised. "Huh?" He evaded my eyes.

"Don't go. … Please. Listen to me first. It's important."

I still didn´t understand. "Kurikara… „

He suddenly shook his head, making jet-black strands of hair fly violently. Since when did he have short hair anyway? Pushing away my irritation, I tried my best to look reassuring. (and completely failed, by his reactions.)

"Look. It's just Tsuzuki. He just sometimes has really bad timing."

That just triggered another shaking. 

"Iie! It's important! Now!" _If you don't listen now…_

Thoughts whispered over our empathic connection, most of them laced with profound horror. 

_#Two people, talking. One of them clearly hurt. _

_A heavy aura of icy indifference._

_". …Why did you…_

_..…I was waiting…"_

_".So?"#_

I jerked my hand away with a gasp, the feeling of hurt momentarily becoming too much for me to bear. What was that?! Gods…! I still felt as if my heart had been ripped out with brute force. That voice… It had sounded so apathetic..

"Hisoka-!"

I stared at the short spirit in front of me. Gone was the impressive dragon king, leaving a desperate-looking, young boy. The banging on the door got louder.

"HISOKA!!"

"Please…Hisoka…"

I was torn between the two of them. I knew that Tsuzuki was only worried about me. But Kurikara… What in hell was going on?

"HISOKA!!!"

"Coming!" At the urgent sound in my partner's voice, I had no other choice than to react. Quickly turning to the small black-haired boy, I gave him what I hoped was a reassuring pat on the shoulder and said in a lowered voice. 

"Look. It's just Tsuzuki. If I don't let him in now, he's going to attract the attention of the whole palace." Seeing the shiki´s still doubtful look, I added. "He's just worried about me."

Slowly, Kurikara drew back. 

"…You're lucky that you have such good friends."

"HI-SO-KA!!"

"He really seems to care a lot about you."

I smiled weakly. "Yeah. That he does…"

I went to open the door when I heard the soft rustle of clothes. "It would be better if he doesn't finds me here."

"Hisok~a!!"

When I finally opened the door I realized something. Kurikara had just called me ´Hisoka´.

+ ~ + ~ + ~ +

Hisoka was distracted, I immediately could see that the moment he finally opened the door and let me in. 

"Hisoka! What happened to you-? Kouchin said that the invader had taken a rout leading directly to this part of Tenkuu… I was worried!"

Hisoka just stared at me, making me even more nervous. "I… It's nothing." "Hisoka?" Yup. Something was definitely wrong. 

"It's nothing, I said!"

Wha-? I backed down, my astonishment clearly written on my face. What was suddenly wrong with him now? 

"Um, um. I just asked… I was worried!" That brought me a cold glare, but at least that was something I was used to by now. "I´m fine." Yup, that's the partner I'm used to and deeply care about. A Hisoka who wasn't grumpy and glaring at least once in a day wasn't a healthy one. Still, I wasn't going to leave him here in this room where every possible danger was lurking. He was my precious partner, after all!

+ ~ + ~ + ~ +

I watched with a certain sick fascination how the boy got dragged out by his older partner. Boy, that brat had could swear! Add that to a temper which could almost match mine.

I almost started pitying Tsuzuki. Almost. After all it was because of him that I didn't get to tell the boy. Frowning, I stepped out of my hiding place. What was it anyway that I never ever came to have a normal conversation when it came to something important?! Just bad karma, I guess. My temper or way of arguing had definitely nothing to do with it.

Yeah… The conversation. What I wanted to tell him, what had been so important, I- Argh!

A sudden wave of vertigo send me staggering. I dropped to the floor, clenching my head with my hands. Ow! Gods, what was that?! The dizziness got only worse. Instead of going away, a screeching sound started tormenting my ears to no end while a dull pain was soaring in my head. 

Ah! Hell! I gasped, sucking in my breath. Why-? What…?! How did I get into this room anyway? I can't remember…. And where were Futsu and Ame? They should be with me… .

Something wet was trickling down my forehead. Huh? What was that? …Blood? I was bleeding? How? Releasing my death-grip on my head, I slowly brought my fingers forward, trying to figure out what was ha-Ow! A new wave of pain ran through my skull.

What . was . tha-!! This time I couldn't keep myself quite from crying out loud. What was- I came here to talk with somebody, but who? The boy… The boy, I wanted to talk with that shinigami boy, right? …I have to warn him. I gasped again as the pain got too much, and I sunk into the grateful darkness of unconsciousness.

+ ~ + ~ + ~ +

"Tsuzuki wha-? Stop! Wait! I have to get my stuff first-"

It didn't work. Damn, it didn't work! Tsuzuki was vehemently tugging me down the corridor and away from the room. 

"Damn! Let go!!" 

I yanked my arm free. Did that guy actually never get it into his head that I didn't like being touched? Obviously not. 

"But Hisokaa~!" 

Taking a quick step to prevent the tugging game starting again, I gave Tsuzuki a serious look. "I just have to quickly do something before leaving. I'll be right back." According to the look he gave me, he didn't believe me. 

"But…"

Before I could find a suitable answer that would calm his worries enough - It's not as if I would mind him being concerned about me- but I had to go back and tell Kurikara at least that I wasn't going to stand him up there willingly. The memories and the hurt accompanying them were still quite vivid in the back of my mind. I didn't want him to think that it was happening again. Oops, my thoughts were straying. Anyway, just when I was to about to answer, we both got nearly run over by Suzaku. 

Following hot on her heels was Byakko. All we could do was gape at them (after doing a rather less than graceful full-length dive to evade being simply run over by her).

"Suzaku! Byakko! What's wrong?"

The armed female didn't even pause to answer, but Byakko turned at Tsuzuki´s shout. "We found him! We finally located where the evil aura's coming from!"

"Where?" 

I gasp behind Tsuzuki. Please, don't let it be… Byakko gave his master a weary smile. "You were really lucky that you weren't hurt. It's directly over there." He pointed at the entrance of my room. 

"Ah! Nee-san, wait for me! You know that it's dangerous!" 

With that he dashed off, trying to catch up with Suzaku, who was just entering my room, her sword ready. I was too shocked to react. Don't tell me that they- No. Impossible. They couldn't possibly be thinking that the malicious, evil spirit that had invaded Tenkuu was… I never came to finish that thought as the doorway suddenly seemed to explode.

Suzaku was blasted out of the room and landed hard on the floor. Crouching over her, holding her own sword to her throat was nobody else but a maliciously smirking Kurikara.

"Well, birdie. Lost your way?" 

______________

CONTINUE . . . ?

*According to my poor translation abilities,  it's about what it could mean in English. ^^; 

Back again.^^ Whoo, this story got reviews, reviews! Arigatou!^__^ So, this is the chapters end and like always, I´d like to ask ya to tell me what you think of it.^_~ 


	7. scarlet and black

No Reason – Chapter 7 

Disclaimer: Yami no Matsuei belongs to Yoko Matsushita and that's it.

AN: Well, what to say, what not to say…? Gomen for the late up-dating as well as THANK YOU for all that positive reactions.^___^  Thanks a lot! And now on with the story!

*****

+ ~ Hisoka´s POV ~ +

"Well, birdie. Lost your way?"

I stared at them. No. Impossible. How could that be? Kurikara... Kurikara wasn't- ! I mean... He couldn't-!! Why was he acting like that?! Just moments ago he'd told me that he didn't want to be found. Why now-? Argh! I couldn't understand anything! Kurikara RyuOh was the evil spirit?! But why-? And how? How could this be?! He'd been here before and nothing had happened!! How could he have suddenly turned into something that set all of the twelve celestial generals off like that? And why, for heaven's sake, is he attacking Suzaku?!

I watched with morbid fascination how a single scarlet drop of blood made its way over the fire-type shiki´s forehead and dripped onto the fire general's shoulder. Strange, how such a little drop could evolve into such a big stain. Kurikara has really bright blood, by the way. I've already seen more than enough blood, so I know what I'm talking about. Tsuzuki for example has really deep, red blood that looks a bit like red wine if you squint. My own blood is a plain, simple red. Blood-red, if you like. But Kurikara´s … until now I didn't know that such a brilliant quality was even possible. It inhabited an intensity and clarity that involuntary made one think of liquid rubies. 

Next to me Tsuzuki and Byakko were in a similar state of shock. "K-Kurikara RyuOh!!" The shout resolved the tension. Within seconds the wind shiki had conjured a swirling ball of air/atmosphere-*something* and had hurled it right at the crouching Dragon King. 

Kurikara evaded almost lazily, just letting go of Suzaku in the very last moment. The fire general gasped as Byakko´s blast tore past her through the air.  

It was almost a pity. I really would've liked- No! No way!! I shook my head with a jerk. I most definitely _didn't_ want to see what Suzaku´s blood looked like. Just what was wrong with my head suddenly? Ever since I had left my room I had that strangely dazed feeling…

Kurikara snarled at us from where he'd landed. His eyes were concealed by his wild black bangs, but I already knew the expression they held. Anger. Rage. An all-devouring hatred for everything alive… I could feel it here and, short, it just gave me the creeps.

I involuntary shivered. 

"Hisoka…?" 

Tsuzuki. He sounded worried. A bitter part of me wondered why it had to be always me that made him worry like that. You know, I know Tsuzuki. No matter whatever bad was going to happen, it would end up with my partner blaming himself for it. And like always, I wouldn't really be able to do anything for him. My lack in supporting abilities never ceases to depress myself. It's also an important reason in my wish to gain a strong shiki. With a strong shikigami under my command, I would get strong as well. If I could be strong, I could try and prevent at least some of the bad things that seemed to follow us from happening. I could support and aid my overly childish partner like he always aided me. To return the care and affection he so willingly gave to me. I was never good about showing my emotions and such stuff, and frankly, I don't think I'll ever be. I could only hope that my actions would talk for me. To accomplish that, I needed to be strong (and patient, since I know very well about my partner's abilities of grasping the obvious hints concerning him - or rather lack thereof).

But since I died, my body wouldn't change anymore. That was why I needed to get a strong shiki. – why I needed Kurikara RyuOh. 

As if he'd heard me, the short shiki suddenly lifted his head. Getting for the first time a good glance at his face, both my companions gasped. His pupils had contracted to small slits, betraying his true nature.

"Hisoka!!"

My partner in crime- uh, .work. slammed into me, knocking all of the air out of my lungs. Landing on the floor, I could barely see as _something _cut through where I'd been standing just seconds ago. 

From the other side of the corridor, we could hear Byakko yell in distress. The wind general had barely managed to block another blow that had been aimed at him, when Kurikara already sent the next one. This time I could see better what he did. Though I can't say that it made much sense. The diminutive shiki had made a slashing/whipping motion with his hand, and the next second _something_ was soaring through the air again, aimed towards Byakko. 

Despite his best affords, the tiger-shikigami didn't manage to dodge it completely. Yelling out in pain, he fell to the floor, clenching his injured shoulder. 

"Ofuda, Tsuzuki-san? That won't bring you anything." 

The amused words tore my attention back to where my partner was trying to erect a barrier. Kurikara was watching him with amused curiosity before blasting the enchanted papers to shreds. Wow, not even ashes stayed behind. Tsuzuki collapsed with a pained gasp. Obviously my shiki hadn't only aimed at the ofudas. 

Kurikara let out a shrill laugh that almost sound psychotic. Wait, forget what I said. He sounded like a sadistic, psychotic lunatic who had waaaay too much fun. 

I shuddered at that laughter. It was totally crazy. Not in the sense of a mad scientist who'd gone finally off the rocker or someone like that. No, it wasn't anything near that reassuring. 

It was far worse. 

The only thing I've ever heard which barely resembled that sound was a faint memory of Muraki when he'd realized that I was there, long ago in that night when I died… -And even that was a more than weak comparison. 

In it echoed the pure, sadistic-gleeful joy of a little child that had somehow managed to catch a insect and was now about to rip its legs out one by one, just for the heck of it. Yeah, that sound. Hearing it I knew that Kurikara wouldn't let any of us leave while still alive. Strange, I wasn't even scared…

The KouRyu raised his hand with a triumphing expression. 

"Time to end our little game."

Those incredibly red eyes were ablaze with gloat as he moved to bring his hand down, summoning again the same unknown power that he'd used to render Tsuzuki and Byakko helpless. I closed my eyes. I'd rather not see whatever he had in store for us.

"Wha-?!"

At RyuOh´s enraged outcry I snapped them open again, just in time to see Suzaku slamming into Kurikara and cancelling the attack. I don't have to tell you that the Dragon King wasn't exactly happy, do I?

Still scuffling on the floor with the enraged boy-shiki, Suzaku screamed "Byakko! Make sure that you get away!"

"But-!"

"No buts!! Byakko, you have to-!" She broke off, coursing. When she continued again, she wasn't talking to us. "Tenkuu-ojisan!! Get them out of here!!" The fire general's voice was now laced with urgency, as the air surrounding them had gotten hotter and hotter from the two struggling fire deities barely restrained divine auras. 

Right now Suzaku was still able to keep the upper-hand by using her average size and weight (Kurikara´s barely more than half her height…^^;), but it was obvious that it wouldn't last for much longer.

"No! Tenkuu!!"

Tsuzuki´s shocked cry was futile, as the walls surrounding us had already started moving. Changing their places, they quickly began to erect a new wall between us and the two fighters. 

The female fire-general looked up long enough to give us a reassuring look before the wall closed. "It's all right Tsuzuki-san. Just go and warn the others."

"But-"

"Byakko!"

"Nee-san…?" The tiger-shikigami was bleeding badly. 

"Get them to safety, you stupid tiger! And warn SohRyu!"

"… Hai!" With a cat's quick reflexes he managed to grab both me and my struggling partner and stormed off, dragging us out of the immediate zone of danger.

"Byakko! Let go! We have to help her-!!"

The very pale wind deity just shook his head, not pausing in his speed.

"I doubt we can do that, Tsuzuki…"

+ ~ Suzaku´s POV ~ +

I watched with relief as Byakko finally managed to get a hold of himself and proceeded dragging Tsuzuki and Kurosaki-kun away. Honestly, that guy could be such an airhead sometimes that…-!

I gasped for breath as Kurikara RyuOh landed a good kick into my guts. Pushing me roughly off, the shorter shikigami immediately lunged after his escaping prey, just to get a wall slammed shut right into his face. 

A faint smirk crept over my face as he let out a howl of rage. Hah! Take that!

As if he'd heard my thoughts, the black-haired shiki suddenly snapped around. Taking in the sight of me, his lips twisted into a malicious smirk. I gulped. Not good. Definitely not good at all. I was going to pay for that one, dearly. Forcing myself to return his stare I tested for my sword, firmly deciding not to make it too easy for him.

+ ~ Tsuzuki´s POV ~ +

"What do you mean by that?"

I stared wide-eyed at Byakko. The tiger-shiki had stopped dragging us further for a brief moment and was giving me a sad look. "What I said, Tsuzuki."

"We can't help her?"

"No, we can't." He started pulling us again.

"But she's your friend-!"

"Yeah! And because of that we have to do what she said and warn the others!"

"But-!!"

"Tsuzuki… She's strong."

Evading his look, I turned my head away, mumbling "I know…" Byakko was right. Suzaku WAS strong. Very strong. But she was also a fire type shiki and thus the same as Kurikara. When two shikigami of the same element fought each other, it was normally the level of their power that decided the outcome. And no matter how much I wished for it to be otherwise, Kurikara RyuOh´s level of power excelled hers by far. We both knew that. 

 As well as Suzaku did. 

I could even understand Byakko´s obvious resistance to intervene into the fight, since wind and air in general tended to just raise the power of fire. 

Just why did the KouRyu do this anyway? I would've thought that things would get better now, since he'd become Hisoka´s shiki. Hisoka? Hisoka! I quickly cast a look on my precious partner. Hmm, he seemed to be okay, as far as I could see, though his green eyes were misted over in a way that didn't do any good in lowering my worries. That's not good… The last time he'd looked like that was right after a rather ugly incident with Muraki.

I found myself agreeing with Byakko. There was no way we could help Suzaku like that. The only way was to hurry and find somebody else who could. Quick!

+ ~ Hisoka´s POV (again…) ~ +

…

... ...

We were too late. 

That's the only way I could of how to describe it. We were simply too late. When we'd finally found some of the other and hurried back to the front of my room, they weren't there anymore. 

We were simply freaking _too late_!

Splinters that had broken off Suzaku´s edge had littered the floor as well as some bigger pieces of it. Obviously she had tried to fend Kurikara off with it –and just as obviously failed. Remembering the fate of Touda´s artificial claws, I couldn't help but think that it must have proven pitifully useless against him.

Ugh, I scrunched my nose. There were still some traces of the atrocious smell of burned flesh in the air, as well as the nauseous stench of blood. Kurikara had been nice enough to leave a trail for us, you know.

A trail that consisted of a _huge_ smear of blood where seemingly a rather tall body had been dragged over the floor.

Ladies and gentlemen, we had a clear winner! And it was painfully obvious that it wasn't Suzaku. I couldn't suppress a shudder at the thought that the monster that had done this and I were gradually becoming one.

Tsuzuki and his shikigamis were currently studying the devastation and probably trying to figure out what to do next. I can't say that I really cared. The only thought in my head was that it had been Kurikara who had done this. The same Kurikara that I was to claim as mine. The same that just moments ago had practically begged me to listen to him. Who had desperately tried to warn me of something…

If it really was Kurikara who had attacked us. First doubts started to worm their way into my heart. What could it have been that he'd been trying so desperately to warn us for? Or who? An impostor…? No. I was 100% sure that it had been the real RyuOh in the corridor. What about the strange numbing feeling in my head that had left as soon as I'd brought some distance between us? A side-effect of the bounding? Or…

Next to me, Tenkuu told the others that he was neither able to locate whether Kurikara´s nor Suzaku´s presences within it. I wasn't surprised. Seeing the blood on the floor, I remembered something. Kurikara had been bleeding as well when he'd visited me in my room. 

Could it possibly be that the Dragon King was being controlled by somebody else? No! I discarded the thought. Kurikara RyuOh had already proven before that he was uncontrollable. Still… the idea of possession stayed. Against my will, I found myself musing again. It would make sense that way. Kurikara hadn't been himself when he'd attacked us. And if something had managed to gain control over RyuOh´s body, it surely must have paralysed his mind in the meantime, which would explain the mental numbness I felt around him. It would also explain why his two swords were missing and the urgency with which he'd tried to warn me. 

He must've known that time was getting scarce for him…

A sudden wave of guilt washed over me, followed by a burning rage. Again somebody had gotten caught up in the maelstrom of bad events that seemed to surround me. So I admittedly had problems dealing with Muraki Kazutaka. Fine. But the doctor didn't have anything to do with this (for once, I hope), quite unlike me. By now I was sure that something, no, _someone_ had seized control over Kurikara, and hell if I was going to just put up with it!

I might sound possessive, egoistical, childish and power-hungry –and maybe I was- but if somebody had a right on the KouRyu and his power then it was me and not some bloody mind-controlling bastard!!!

First I needed to make sure I was correct, though. I needed to talk to somebody who knew more about mind-control. Somebody who would be able to recognize the signs. 

I needed to talk to Touda.

+ ~ Kurikara´s POV ~ +

"Nng…"

What was this? 

I kinda knew that one couldn't expect any good after fainting due to an acute assault of extreme pain in your head, less if said head was bleeding. Well, at least that had stopped. 

Still, lying on the floor in the middle of Tenkuu was definitely no- Oh. My eyes had by now gotten used to the dim light (Did the brat close the curtains or something? Note to myself: Must pay better attention to my surroundings.) and I finally got a better view of where I was. 

Or better said: The lack of it. Guess I can stop worrying about getting blood on the furniture. Because there was none. Yeah, you heard me right. There was none! And even less of a room to be in, to be exactly. 

I growled in annoyance. I was, as it seemed, stuck on a plain of darkness. Everything around me was black - walls, the floor I was sitting on, everything! Though… To be honest I highly doubted that there was even something like wall… or a floor. Just shiny, annoying blackness. 

Looking down at the ´floor´, I grimace. Great. Just great. Somehow my feet had sunk into the floor (from the tip of my toes to my knees since I was kneeling, grrr…) and damnit! There was also some of that black stuff around my wrists too!!

I immediately tried to rip it off, but much to my dismay it didn't even budge. "Grrr….What's this-?" Before I could proceed to find any fitting words to what exactly I was thinking about what that *censored* was, a howling voice interrupted me.

A voice howling with laughter, in fact. Straightening, I glared at the source of it. (Or at least tried to. Do you even have a clue about how hard it is to glare at somebody you don't have the slightest clue of where he is?) So I just glared, hoping to look at least in the right direction.

"As hot-tempered as ever…"

"Ne, Kurikara-chan…?"

I froze at that voice. No. Impossible. "You can't…" My voice sounded hoarse. It couldn't be him. After all, Fudo MyuOh was-

"…dead?" My previous incarnation asked with an amused expression as he stepped into sight.

…

____________

CONTINUE…?


	8. hey huh in little slices

**No Reason – Chapter 8**

Disclaimer: Yami no Matsuei belongs to Yoko Matsushita and that's it.

AN: --; Another chapter. FINALLY!! … .. …I don´t know what to say. Hope you like it. Thanks for reviewing to shiny moon ( I finally managed a update!;), Kalong-chan, malika-azrael, Dje,Yanagi-sen, midori hitomi, Cary and Fluff Inc. Thanks a lot!!

To malika-azrael: Yes, there will be Yaoi between them! I´m definitely going to have it in later chapters. ;)

As ever, beta-ed by the talented Ryuke-Naoe.

%& %& %&

"Touda? May I talk to you?"

The black-clothed serpent-shiki turned at my question. From behind him I could see the stars sparkling on the nightly horizon. Although I recognised some of the constellations, they weren't like the ones on Earth or Meifu. Somehow they seemed to be more bright than usual. Maybe it was because the air was less polluted here. I don´t know. I was never the type to be calmed by watching the stars.

"Kurosaki-san."

It was less of a question than an acknowledgement of my presence. It was difficult to think of him as the same shikigami-type as the fierce Suzaku and Kurikara Ryuoh. Ouch, wrong thought. Quickly banishing it and others like it out of my head, I gave him a stern glance.

"I need your help."

At that statement, something flickered in his eyes. Just for a second though, and then it was gone. Touda lightly tilted his head. Seeing him with long hair still bothered me. "About what?"

I forced myself to remain calm.

"Kurikara."

Touda gave me a surprised look. "Ryu-oh? I don´t think I could do anything about him." For a moment, the depressing feeling of being powerless flickered over to me. Then it was gone. "As you know, I´m a fire-shikigami as well. Against him, I´d be utterly useless."

I shook my head. "I know. What I mean is…" I dropped my hand, feebly searching for an appropriate way to express what I wanted to say. "You know, I talked to him, Touda." The black serpent raised an eyebrow, gesturing for me to go on. Taking a deep breath and calming my heart, I did. Normally, people didn´t notice when I was nervous, but this time it was obvious, I simply knew it.

"When… when Suzaku was attacked today. Before it happened, I spoke to him. I… he… I didn´t know that it was him you were all searching as the intruder. I thought- I was simply too surprised. He didn´t act like he usually did."

Shooting the taller shiki a desperate look, I broke off, searching silently for the right words to continue. When I finally found them, they didn´t turn out as I had expected.

"I think I understood, then. Why they call him a god. That time… When I was speaking to Kurikara in my room – he wasn´t like normal. He was… I don´t know how to describe it. As if he´d completely changed his character." Meeting Touda´s cool eyes, I lowered my eyes, whispering. "He´s ancient, Touda, ancient. Not like an angry kid or some pissed-off fighter like usual, but a real god. Powerful. And he was worried."

Waiting for the words to sink in, I searched the expression in the serpent-shikigami´s face. It was unreadable. "He was uneasy. A …lot. I don´t think he actually wanted to come to Tenkuu." At that, Touda tilted his head in a silent question. I understood it nonetheless. Then why had he? "I- I think he wanted to warn me of something!! He kept repeating that there was something I had to know. And… I don´t know, he was simply acting strange!! As if his time was running out and he knew it.."

Stepping away from the railing, Touda watched me with a calm expression. "You think he´s being controlled." I nodded. "Yes." He considered it for some moments.

"…Impossible."

My eyes flew open at that. "W-What?! Why?!" Touda met me with a stern face. "…He´s too strong. No known method of mind-control would work on him. His youki wouldn´t allow it." I stared speechlessly at him. How could he say that? Touda was very powerful himself and had been mind-controlled as well! Sensing my internal uproar, Touda sighed.

"I´m sorry to destroy your hopes, but whatever he does, it´s of his own free will."

I felt my eyes narrow into a glare. How could he dare say that? How could that puny snake dare claim that Kurikara would do something like that without even considering that option while he himself was using it as a completely legal excuse for attacking Tsuzuki, his own master!! I must have been radiating some of my emotions off, because he took a few steps back. It didn´t help to quell my anger.

"You were." I all but hissed. "Raitei controlled you to attack Tsuzuki! Why shouldn't somebody else do the same to Kurikara?"

At my outburst, Touda took another step back, but remained firm otherwise. "It´s not the same. I was wearing the machine that he used to take control the whole time. There was nothing like that on Kurikara." I shot him a defiant glare. "There was nothing you could _see_. Kurikara was bleeding heavily from his forehead when I talked to him. He said it was nothing of importance, but what if it were?! You say that he´s powerful. Too powerful for normal control mechanics! What if somebody decided to put one directly into his _head_?!"

"That would change the situation, of course. He was wounded at his forehead, you say? Do you remember exactly where?"

I whirled around at the new voice. Behind us stood Rikugou, the stargeezer, in all his six-eyed glory. Behind me, I could hear Touda shift. "You were listening?"

"Why, yes." Rikugou nodded, blinking with all of the four eyes in his head. I grimaced. The two in his palms were probably blinking too. Grinning lightly, he stepped closer, giving us a little wink. "With the volume you two used, I couldn´t help it, even if I hadn't wanted. So Hisoka´s wondering if Kurikara´s being controlled?" He grinned again. I couldn´t help but feel reminded of Watari by his expression. I´m not so sure if that´s a good thing, though. With all the skill and knowledge he possessed, the blond scientist tended to blow far too many things up for my liking (aside from his whole ´let´s-make-a-gender-switching-potion!´-obsession.). I didn´t know if I wanted to tell this peticular piece of information to his shikigami version.

"That´s quite possible in my opinion."

On the other hand, what harm could it do? Rikugou watched me calmly. "I was wondering along the same lines, actually."

Touda watched him with a sceptical expression. "You believe him, too?" Rikugou countered the suspicious look with a cheerful grin. His eyes, however, stayed serious. "Of course. Why shouldn´t I? What he says makes perfect sense." Suddenly, within seconds, his whole posture changed from friendly-amused to menacing and dangerous.

"Think about it, Touda. There are many out there who desire power. If it´s their own or somebody else's whom they just simply control doesn´t really matter to them. Kurikara Ryu-Oh is powerful, my friend, even more so than any of us might possibly imagine. So if you´re asking me if I think that Kurikara-chan is being controlled, I don´t know…"

He gave Touda a serious look that could have matched with SohRyu´s glare of death easily.

"…But if you want to know if there's somebody that wishes to control him, then yes, there is. And he most definitely as hell will strike him down at every chance presented."

I couldn´t help but shiver at those words. They made the strangely ardent resistance of the petite Kouryu against our bounding much more understandable, in some way… I felt a rare twitch of guilt nag on my conscience. How many before me had desired the dragon god´s strength? How many had sought out his forge, ignoring the exile; how many had demanded to be tested before? How many had there actually _had been_?

And that was just _after_ he had been banished…

Kurikara must have had armies of aspiring masters, not just one or a few. I wasn´t listening to what the other shikis said anymore, this new thought being too much. I had never paid a thought to whoever might have strived for Kurikara´s assistance before. Sure, I had known that Tsuzuki had tried (and had royally been kicked out), but about others trying as well… I never had really thought. It was only just me. Me, me, me, ME and his power. Never had I really paid attention to what was behind those powers I desired. (Aside from the fact that it was pretty vicious, hot-tempered and had a serious inclination to constantly be in an extremely foul mood.)

"How-… How old is he anyway?"

"…What?"

Rikugou and Touda were both staring surprised at me, stunned by the broken quality my voice held and the sudden question.

"Hisoka-kun… What do you mean? How old is who?"

"Kurikara RyuOh…"

I gave Rikugou a serious look. Despite it, I couldn´t quite keep the pleading edge out of my words as I continued.

"Kurikara Ryu-Oh… How old is he? Does any of you know?"

"….." The both shikigami exchanged surprised looks. It seemed that they had never paid it much thought as well. After a few minutes, Touda finally turned his head away with a jerk.

"…I don´t know."

Making a step forward, Rikugou gave me a sorry look. "I have no clue either. Ever since I met him he was…" The blond shikigami broke off, not really knowing how to approach the touchy issue. Lowering his head, he said, "I´m very sorry. Having been his friend before the Great War, I should have paid more attention to it. But since there´re many shikigami that don´t look their age…" He shook his head. "The only thing I can tell you is that he´s about the age of SohRyu. If not a bit older..."

I blinked in surprise.

"Maybe… even older than SohRyu…?"

"Surely doesn´t act or look like it, does he?"

Rikugou grinned meekly, before his face turned slightly sad. "Kurikara-chan always tended to make fun of his own childish actions himself. That was before the war, of course." Almost as an afterthought, he added. "He was also a very gentle and a patient friend, back then…" The blond shikigami´s voice had turned sad at those last words.

I blinked, surprised.

"Rikugou… I didn´t know you two were friends once."

"Yes. It´s not very likely, is it? Me and my striving for knowledge and Kurikara with his ´let's worry about it later´ attitude… We got along greatly, though. Ever since the incident shortly before the outbreak of the war, he´s changed…"

He looked up, a sudden cheery grin replacing his previous sullen mood. I couldn´t help but feel uncomfortably reminded of how Tsuzuki could be sometimes.

"But that´s kind of obvious, isn´t it? The more important matter is to get Kurikara back to his senses now, regardless of whether he´s being controlled or having a bad day."

Touda nodded sternly. All our talk, the serpent shiki had stayed silent. Now, he seemed to have made his mind up about something. I hoped it was in our favour.

"You´re right. The Ryu-Oh on rampage is nothing Gensoukai can withstand that for long. We have to stop him."

I nodded.

"Right. Let´s go!"

%& %& %&

One thing we had conveniently forgotten in our glorious plan of confronting the Kouryu was how we were supposed to actually find him.

Luckily this part took care of itself rather fast, as we were unexpectedly found by _him_. Except it didn´t even make the effort of trying to look like the usual Kurikara RyuOh anymore. I don´t know how it was for the others, but to me it was shockingly obvious this time. The whole way he held his body had completely changed; from the normal way of moving like a bored tiger (the worst in the area and knowing it), it had changed into a slouching crouch in a poor imitation of the original.

It almost looked as if his body was being moved by an untrained puppeteer.

Watching his abnormally shiny, red eyes light up as he noticed us, I felt a cold shiver creeping down my spine. No. That was not my Kurikara! That was never Kurikara RyuOh… The ´imposter's´ lips pulled into a huge, sadistic smirk as he cautiously sauntered closer to us, grinning all the while. Serveral parts of his kimono were covered with so much blood that the bright pattern wasn´t even visible anymore.

´Kurikara´ smirked, his eyes following the direction mine and Rikugou´s shocked eyes had wandered. Only Touda had remained calm, though he too had visibly tensed at the Koryu´s appearance. Kurikara grinned.

"Boo."

Raising my eyes, I met his dark red orbs with a shell-shocked look. Staring right into their glassy depths, I heard a disbelieving whisper that I recognized only afterwards later as my own.

"I… Who are you? There´s no way in hell that you´re Kurikara…"

The shikigami´s features switched into derisive laughter at this disbelieving question. Resting his hand against his hip in an all too Kurikara-like motion, the ´thing´ snickered haughtily, displaying a set of pointed fangs in the process.

Giving me an assessing look, 'Kurikara' finally answered.

"Kurikara really has to be pitied if even you as his own shinigami don´t recognize him. Poor Kurikara-chan…" he snickered. "But you´re right. I´m not him. Though…" Still smirking, he ran a hand over the torso down to Kurikara´s small hips. "…this _is_ the RyuOh´s body. Ah, quite nice, isn´t it? And with so much power stored in it…"

Suddenly changing to serious, he gave us a grim smile.

"I´m the new owner of this body and his power. Fudo MyuOh!"

CONTINUE…?


	9. tongue or something like that

**No Reason – Chapter 9**

**AN**: Usually I don't update without have a beta go over a story… But after waiting for several months and no help in sight I'll just take the risk (this time). I've proof-read this chapter several times before posting, but I fear there will still be some mistakes inside. If you find them or possible can tell me here to find a good beta, please let me know! (bows)  
-Picaro

**Also first hints of yaoi showing in this chapter!**

* * *

„Kurikara?" 

The dark-haired shiki in front of me let out a dark laugh.

"I´m sorry, human boy, but I fear your diminutive friend isn´t any longer here to hear you."

"But-!" I staggered back. I kew it! I´d known it all the time already! This wasn´t Kurikara, it was just some sort of evil thing that had taken over my shikigami´s body! Next to me, Rikugou and Touda exchanged glances out of the corner of their eyes. It was Rikugou who spoke first.

"If you're really not Kurikara, who are you then?"

The fake Kurikara´s face fist turned into a expression of pure bafflement, but then it turned into a hideous smirk. That expression wasn´t a nice one to be looking at on Kurikara´s childish face at all. I shivered inwardly. Was it that what all of the others constantly saw when they were looking at Kurikara? The true, _my_, Kurikara RyuOh? Was I the only one who saw the little shikigami with an undisturbed vision?

No… That couldn´t be.

Tsuzuki had wanted Kurikara to become his shiki as well, and despite all his goofiness my partner possessed a quite good sense for the true core of humans…and, well, shikigamis too, I guess, from what could be told about his little escapade with Touda… He surely wouldn´t have wanted to suffer the company of such an hideous creature as Kurikara, would the shikigami truly be as evil as was constantly claimed. …Right?

I couldn´t pinpoint my own feelings. The only thing that I knew for sure was that that thing in front of us might be possessing the real Kurikara´s body, but was never ever in life (and afterlife) the true thing himself. The presence of the thing whatever it was made me feel sick.

´Kurikara´ had watched us all through one single slanted eye. Underneath thick lashes, red that was sprinkled with unnatural yellow streaks glittered in an victorious sneer.

"It´s your deaf day today, huh? Like I already stated, I´m the true and only owner of Kurikara´s allmighty powers now, Fudo MyuOh!" The worlds were accompanied with small streaks of negative, dark-hued power starting to surround his body. Remembering the same stuff having done that much damage towards Byakko not so long ago, I quickly took a step back. Unconsciouly, Touda and Rikugou mirrored my actions. Seeing us back away, Fudo laughed haughtily.

"Just right you fools, be scared! Be scared of Kurikara´s power and shiver at its face-…" He stopped in mid sentence, his smirk turning into a thoughtful sneer. "But what am I talking here anyway? Why don´t demostrate it!" Laughing, he strechted his right arm out and the dark energy surrounding him turned with a flash into the spiraling form of a black sword, which looked like it was growing directly out of his arm. I heard Rikugou gasp, but couldn´t bring myself to do anything else but stare at the black edge like the proverbial deer at the headlights.

Enjoying our fear, Fudo laughed again, a black, vicious sound that I was growing to hate each minute more. Who was he and what right did he have to mutilate Kurikara´s body like that! And worse, was Kurikara still somewhere in there, desperately trying to win his own body back and help? Or was he already….? No! Alone the possibility of the last thought made my mind turn numb. It also turned my blood into hot, burning oil at the same moment, though.

"I.Am.Its.Master!" Again he barked out that strangely repulsive laugh. "Kurikara´s mine! And all that´s going to be left of you will be your fancy blood ruining the carpets." The last comment was hissed in an that casual manner as if he was talking about nothing more than taking a stroll instead of murdering two of Gensoukai´s highest ranked shikigamis as well as an at least theoretically immortal shikigami.

Touda and Rikugou had barely the time to push me out of the way as he attacked.

The swirls of dark energy that came hurling in our direction were a lot more powerful than the ones he'd previously thrown. They missed Touda´s head by an inch's breath away and blew the wall behind us into tiny pieces. Kurikara – _no, not Kurikara! The doppelgänger_ – let out a shrill, malicious chuckle and lunged in our direction.

-And again it was one of Tsuzuki´s shiki who saved me.

From moment to the other Rikugou had appeared in front of me, arms hold high as if he was busy with some sort of prayer. He shouted an illegible word that touched _something_ inside me and this time I could see how the time around the Kurikara-impostor was frozen. Rikugou didn't waste any time, though.

Grabbing me roughly by the arm he dragged me past the frozen dragon and shouted at the same time at Touda, who was freeing himself from several pieces of debris that had half buried him, to hurry up.

Catching sight of the glazy look that had also spread over Kurikara´s left eye, I felt a strong bang of guilt surging through me. Following an impulse I tried to tear myself free from the stargazer's grip and run towards my own shikigami. Rikugou brutally yanked me back, hardening his grip on my arm that much that I felt like I could hear my bones crunching underneath it. Still, I kept on struggling.

"No! Rikugou! Kurikara-! We've got to help him…"

The six-eyed shikigami only fastened his steps, dragging me mercilessly down the next hall with him.

"There's no way we could do anything of use for him now, Hisoka-kun. That other guy will kill us all as soon as we get into his reach again." Although intentionally not speaking it out loud, I could clearly hear that he'd originally had meant to say ´you´ instead of ´us´. ""But Kurikara-!" I was dragged down another hall. "Right now Kurkikara is about as helpless as we are, Hisoka." He roughly pushed me through a narrow passage that I'd completely overlooked on our way before. Rikugou´s four eyes on his head kept scanning the area and at least the top-most pair of them kept sneaking nervous glances back to the direction we were coming from. Finally, we came past something that looked like some sort of storage chamber and Rikugou pushed me hastily in it.

"Stay in here!" he ordered, looking once more frenzily at the direction in which we had left Touda and the impostor in. Turning back to face me, all of his eyes fixed me with a look that told me just how serious the situation we were in was. "No matter what happens, you'll stay in here until I come and get you! It's obvious that he's aiming for you since you seem to block his way towards complete control over Kurikara…" He shortly broke off as an pained inhuman shriek drifted to us. Somehow it sounded snake-ish to me. When Rikugou turned to me again, his expression had turned very grave.

"Touda´s loosing." He stated blankly. "Since it's obviously his goal, he mustn't get you, Hisoka! Tenkuu! Block all the ways leading here once I've left and tell Sohryu and the others what's going on!"

"It's already happening." Announced a rumbling voice that seemed to come from the walls around us. Rikugou nodded curtly. "Alright. I'm going to help Touda buy us some time. Hisoka…" he paused, looking unsure of what he was going to say. "When he manages to get past us, flee. Run! Do you understand! That thing is NOT Kurikara!" Not really thinking anything, I nodded my head mechanically. "Understood."

"Good."

Rikugou nodded a last time in my direction and then turned heel and vanished in a blur of fluttering blond hair and elaborate robes. With a crunching sound the wall's melted together after him, locking me in successfully.

I couldn't say how much time had passed since Rikugou had left – entirely too much, if you're asking me- but at some point or another I had the impression to hear faint shouts and roars drift through the walls opposite to me.

In the end I couldn't stand it anymore, and asked, to the palace-shikigami directed "Have… they won?" I barely caught myself from something sounding a lot less enthusiastic. Nobody answered my hesitant question. The sounds seemed to get louder though.

"Hello?"

Again no answer. Feeling slightly irritated (as well as more than just slightly worried) I walked over and pressed my ear against the wall. If the palace was already not talking to me it could maybe grant me some answers by simply letting me eavesdrop on what was happening. Or so I thought.

Only seconds after I'd pressed my ear against it, the whole wall seemed to shake that violently that I immediately jumped a good foot back. My reaction came just in time to prevent me to be sharing the fate of the wall I'd just listened on and that was now getting blasted into tiny bits.

Through it stepped a broadly smirking Kurikara.

"YOU!" I glared hatefully at him. "What did you do to Touda and Rikugou!"

The body-snatcher grinned haughtily at the question, displaying much more pointed fangs than I'd ever seen the real Kurikara do.

"Isn't that obvious?"

He stepped closer, raising a now blood-covered edge towards me. Gulping, I took a step back – and hit the wall. Hell, was it really this small in here! Seemingly having read me thoughts, the fake Kurikara let out an bark-like laugh and slowly came closer. The tip of the sword pointed casually first at my head, then at my bared throat.

"Don't worry, I won't take as much time with you as I did with Kurikara." He grinned sadistically. "I'll make it quick and painful."

With that he lunged, his katana describing a smug liquid-like move that would sever my head from my shoulders like cutting through hot butter. I screamed and ducked away, just to run against the cold wall that was behind me once more. Damn it, I was cornered!

Many things happened at once.

I desperately tried to duck away and slid further against the wall. The fake's sword came down in a swooshing metallic bow at me. The not-Kurikara´s face was drawn into a grimace of triumph. And from somewhere, a loud thunderous voice suddenly boomed.

"_**#NO!#"**_

The sword pieced the wall right next to my right side and Kurikara´s body crashed against mine, sending us both once more tumbling against the wall.

Right then I expected the other to stand up and finish what his first blow had missed, but instead of attacking me once more Kurikara´s body only leaned limb against mine. Then, slowly, hesitant arms wound around my torso. With a visible strain of force, Kurikara hooked his fingers in the front of my shirt and drew himself up by it. All during that time, his movement seemed strangely strained to me, as if the mind behind these motions used all of his remaining energy to force his exhausted body to do even this.

With a slow groan, clear, wine-red eyes blinked up at me. I gave a started jerk. That weren't the eyes Kurikara had had during he'd been possessed. This eyes were clean, vibrant and very, very deep… I blinked another time, staring into them. It was strange but possibly for the first time the uneven matched irises didn't disturb me in the least. So what if Muraki had also an unseeing eye that was on the same place as Kurikara´s? Those eyes and the persona behind them were definitely my shikigami and ally, Kurikara!

As if having heard my thoughts out loud (and maybe he had, considering our closeness and the fact that the dragon-shikigami had been showing signs of picking my talent of limited mind-reading as well) the petite RyuOh pressed his body even closer against mine, letting out a soft, exhausted groan in the process. When he looked up again, his impish face was half hidden against the fabric of my shirt. I also noted that his eyes were both open and half-lidded, giving me a somewhat dreamy look. Involuntary, a cold shiver ran over my spine. If the little shikigami wouldn't have looked so utterly exhausted, and thus the obvious reason for his acting not thrust this openly into my face, believe me, an over-ripe tomato wouldn't have been anything compared to the colour of my face!

Things being like they were, I only reacted with a heavy feeling of worry at his obvious bad state. Kurikara had by now closed his eyes again and nestled his face comfortably against my chest. I could feel the fringes of his ash-shaded ink-black mass of hair tickle my collarbones. The little shikigami sighed loudly. Despite no way of knowing it, I was absolutely sure that he was listening to the beat of my heart. After a short while – was it really that short? It felt like millions of years and only a few split-seconds at the same time- his arms loosened their grip. Kurikara stayed leaned close to me though, I could feel the warmth of his lithe body slowly seeping out of his and what seemed into mine. What was going on?

"…Kurikara?"

My tentative question sounded loud and shrill against my ears, and almost I'd have thought that the shikigami wasn't going to answer it. Then, with a loud intake of air, Kurikara´s body tensed a bit, and his head moved against my chest.

"H´soka…"

My heart leaped in my throat. It was really him!

"Kurikara! What-? I mean, where… how..?"

The shiki hmp-ed lightly and I could practically _feel_ him smirk against my chest.

"Heh… Were you expecting somebody else…?"

The joke didn't aim well, and we both knew it. Feeling my internal uproar, Kurikara cut my words off with a tired but definite movement of his hand, now finally looking up and meeting my eyes again. The red irises I was looking into were serious and determined, worlds apart from the dreamy and tired ones I'd looked into just before.

"Not now." He stated. "We don't have much time! He won't let himself be blocked out much longer and my shields are already crumbling." At that words Kurikara paused and seemingly listened into himself, totally ignoring my involuntary wince as the meaning of them registered to me. If I'd have bad luck, I could have the impostor suddenly clutching the front of my shirt. I quickly pushed that thought away from me.

"Kurikara.."

"Not now. Do you trust me?"

"I- what?"

" I repeat: Do you trust me?"

I looked at him flabbergasted. What did he mean? His question didn't make any sense. Seeing the urgent expression on his face, I answered it with the truth.

"Yes. I think so. But why…-"

Kurikara cut me off short once again. Leaning against my chest once again, his eyes swerved to the side where they seemed to look onto something I couldn't see. Then, Kurikara straightened with a visible push.

Taking one step back from me (and leaving me feeling strangely alone and cold) he regarded me once more with a very serious look, before announcing.

"Alright! Then I've got no other choice! I'll have to trust you as well…"

Before I could react in any way to this strange words, he already had leaped forward and pressed his lips against mine. Something behind my eyes exploded at the contact of his soft lips. Instead of following my first impulse and pushing him away repulsedly (his body was barely older than thirteen and he was a _boy_!) my arms seemed to evolve a will of their own. Sneaking around his thin waist, they wound against the boy-shiki´s torso and drew him closer, pressing his warm form closer to mine as his amazingly soft lips locked me into a passionate kiss. My eyes had slid shut within the very first seconds of this and still I felt like I saw more of Kurikara´s body than I had ever done before. There were supple, hard spans where his fighting-shaped muscles broke through the soft form of his kid-like body, and all of it felt so very soft and welcoming and yet so _strong_… I was completely lost in the act by now, drawing him closer and closer until I felt that our bodies would have to melt to get any more tighter as Kurikara locked me into a gentle, yet unbelievably demanding kiss that seemed to suck the very soul out of me.

The dragon's kiss was like nothing I'd ever experienced before. It was unbreakable like the cold, mocking ones Muraki had given me while killing me slowly, yet there was no similar poison in it, and the few fleeting good-bye styled kisses I'd received since being in Meifu didn't even deserve to be called kisses anymore compared to this. Not even the single one kiss I'd exchanged with Tsuzuki (Watari´s potions be thanked) had stirred such emotions in me.

A soft, wet something prodded against my closed lips and I gave a little start, realizing belatedly that it was Kurikara´s tongue. Without further thinking I obediently opened my lips and granted entrance. What had been like the gates to heaven before turned into pure ecstasy as Kurikara´s tongue touched mine twined with it, battling a silent mock battle… And something felt off. One moment to the other all feelings left my body and it felt like all of my immortal life was sucked out of me. Instantly I tried to break the kiss, but Kurikara´s arms were too strong, holding me onto place by griping my chest and the back of my head. I struggled even more, but my body didn't seem to want to comply. Instead of prying him off my arms wound even closer around Kurikara, lifting him off the ground as our lips were still locked in that unholy kiss of dead…

Something changed again.

Instead of being sucked out, all of my life-grating energy suddenly was returned to me and with it even a little more. The kiss still didn't break but instead of grinding lips against lips it suddenly felt more like an strange experience of breathing into each others beings. Kurikara´s body suddenly jerked up in my hold and then _something_ was pushed from his mouth into mine. Involuntary I gagged, trying to stop whatever was being transferred, but a horrible strong force forced my mouth to stay open and I felt it being pushed down my throat where it instantly expanded, flooding first my chest and then slowly my whole being with a new, burning sensation… it was almost as if my body was filled inside with fire that didn't burn but warmed me immensely…

Giving a whimpering sigh, Kurikara´s body suddenly turned slack against my arms.

With a startled gasp I released the immense pressure -I just then realized how much I must've squeezed him enough to break several ribs of a normal child- and watched his form tumble to the ground in a dead faint.

"Kuikara-…"

My words were cut of when a surge of soaring fire raced through my head, almost knocking me out too and leaving me with a deep feeling of vertigo and dizziness behind.

"Kurikara…-!"

I bowed over his unconscious form. What exactly did he just do…? I don't know how long we must've stayed like this in that room before Rikugou followed by Tsuzuki and the others stormed in. There were several gasps of surprise in the face of Kurikara´s knocked out state and Tsuzuki stayed all draped over me in personified worriedness, but it didn't really register to me.

Only when I had softly been steered back to my room and the commotion had died down to an tolerable level I woke up again. My thoughts still felt irritatingly slow and dizzy, like I had to give every order twice before my body finally opted to follow it, but somehow I managed to ask what had happened while I was in that room with Kurikara.

As it looked the fake RyuOh had already been quite finished with beating the shit out of Touda –Rikugou´s time-freeze hadn't hold half as long as the stargazer had hoped- and the serpent shiki had only survived heavily wounded by having himself turned in his true form inside Tenkuu (a thing the palace-shiki couldn't stand at all) as well as the fact that the other had mainly attacked him with fire-based attacks. When Rikugou had joined the battle he'd tried to lure the impostor away from the wounded Touda, but had then lost him somewhere on the way. Later he had met up with Sohryu and the others. Together the had followed Tenkuu´s instructions and found me and Kurikara – me in a semi-sort of trance and Kurikara cold out.

By now Kurikara´s body had been brought into what had been explained to me a high-security-cell of which Sohryu had steely refused to give any further information on. Most of the shikigamis had left by now, leaving me with a still fretting Tsuzuki and the faceless Taimo, who seemed to be some type of medic in shikigami terms.

Tsuzuki was just about asking me for the fifty-fourth time if I really was alright when Byakko suddenly barged into the room, knocking my partner over in the process.

"Taimo! _O sorry Tsuzuki…_ Taimo, come quick, we found Suzaku!"

Both other jumped up at those words immediately. "Really?" "Where?"

I was too surprised to listen to what followed. Suzaku wasn´t dead? So maybe Kurikara still _had_ had some control over his body while they had fought. But then, later in that room, he'd been desperate. _Desperate enough to kiss me…_ Was it really that what he did? Or was it something completely else that only appeared like a kiss on the first glimpse…?

Involuntary, I felt the stunning sensation of him stuffing …_something_.. down my throat and deeper into me. Kurikara… what did you think? Against my will another thought came up in my head. It hadn't felt all that bad to be kissed by Kurikara… With a startled jolt my subconscious me jumped up and boxed the thought down again. Only when I was sure that it was securely trampled to pieces, I allowed myself to relax a bit again. Kissing Kurikara… What was I thinking anyway? The guy was still a kid…

…And so was I in similar terms, judging by the appearance of my immortal body alone. But what Tsuzuki and the others sorrowfully most often failed to recognize was that that was just appearance and appearance only. Mentally I was a healthy, albeit dead, young man at the age of twenty… I wondered if Kurikara felt the same way. Did he also feell frustration rise every so often because of people misjudging him by his pre-teen appearance? How old was the dragon god anyway, in shikigami terms? I barely stifled a frustrated outcry as I realized how astray my thoughts had gone again. But was that really so amazing? That guy had _kissed_ me, for heaven's sake…

"Hisoka?"

The worried, and as I belatedly realized, repeated call of my name forced my thoughts back onto the matters at hand. Frowning a bit at my own clumsiness, I gave Tsuzuki a questioning look.

"What is it?"

My partner gave me a look that told me exactly how worried he was and repeated his question if it would be alright if he left to look for Suzaku for a little wihle. (This point was empathized so strongly that I felt the need to whack him on the head once again.) Giving him my most dignified stare, I kept my eyes open for Taimo. The shikigami had already left.

"Yes, I'm fine. You go and take care of her, Tsuzuki, she'll need it…"

"Oh, Hisoka…-!"

Tsuzuki was in his little-puppy form and clinging to my neck, wailing waterfalls of tears while proclaiming how strong and understanding I was. I pried him off, a veine popping on my head.

"Quit it already! I´m fine! Kurikara didn't do anything to me, so go and help Suzaku! You're her friend and master, right!"

It came off more annoyed than I really was, but I couldn't help it. Actions like that always make me feeling very uncomfortable, and anyway, Tsuzuki was used to it by now. Lo and behold, the brown-haired shikigami gave me a last trusting look, before turning mature again and rushing off to help Suzaku.

Behind me, a little scoff was heard.

"Seeing this, I know why you're so ardent about getting a more adult partner instead of him."

Hearing somebody talk like that about Tsuzuki immediately sent the little hairs on the back of my neck standing. What was he thinking… Sure, Tsuzuki could be an extremely incapable idiot at times, but on other he could just as easily be the exact opposite. And he was _my_ partner…

Intending to tell that idiot off for good I turned around – and couldn't get my mouth closed. The one standing casually behind me, one hand casually stemmed against hip and measuring me with a toothy grin was nobody else than Kurikara RyuOh himself.

And he was see-through.

Noticing my surprise (with could hardly be missed at the moment), the petite shiki raised a mocking eyebrow at me.

"What? Never seen a bodiless soul before?"

CONTINUE…?


End file.
